Greediness is a *universal human trait* and not limited to India.
Philosophers, psychologists, and historians across the world have
historically regarded greed as a fundamental, albeit often destructive,
part of human nature. It is described as an insatiable desire for
more—whether in wealth, power, or possessions—that transcends cultural,
geographical, and temporal boundaries.
- *Universal Recognition:* Ancient Greek philosophers (Aristotle)
discussed *pleonexy* (the insatiable desire for more), and ancient
Chinese texts (Xunzi) identified selfishness and greed as inherent to human
nature. Similarly, in Hinduism, the *Laws of Manu* define *lobha* (greed)
as a root of immorality.
- *Survival Mechanism:* Psychologically, greed is considered an evolved,
hard-wired instinct for self-preservation and resource accumulation. While
necessary in times of scarcity, in modern society, this translates into an
excessive desire for accumulation beyond need.
- *Not Exclusive to One Culture:* Studies on greed (using tools like the
Dispositional Greed Scale) have validated its presence across diverse
cultures, including China, the Netherlands, and the United States. While
some, such as Gandhi, remarked on the dangers of greed, this is a universal
human concern, not a phenomenon unique to India.
- *Modern Capitalism:* Global capitalism is often accused of
institutionalizing and encouraging this greed, making it a "global" issue
often associated with Western financial centers as well as rapidly growing
economies elsewhere.
*Why it might appear culturally specific:*
While the *tendency* is universal, the *expression* of greed can be
influenced by cultural context, such as social pressure, economic
inequality, or specific societal values. In some contexts, it is
stigmatized, while in others (like in certain business environments), it is
sometimes rebranded as ambition or a driver of economic growth.
In short, greed is a worldwide human characteristic, often described as a
"double-edged sword" of ambition and selfishness that affects societies
globally.
That being said, greedier people also reported having shorter
romantic relationships and smaller families, the latter of which would be
considered an evolutionary disadvantage. Of course, having fewer offspring
is not necessarily *bad *for greedy individuals in a more general sense.
They might have their own reasons to have fewer children, perhaps because
they have personal aims that they think would be harder to achieve.To date,
it is not fully clear why this is the case. It could be because greedy
people are constantly dissatisfied with what they have and are endlessly
pursuing more – intrinsic properties of greed. It could also be because
they frequently compare themselves with others who are better off, and they
feel more envy
<https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886920305523?casa_token=gvhfPKTDpQEAAAAA:fTLW_O2HIxxp6JqTgC6yyjUiWaaGEjAFxRftWdnrGj-_82kLwJdPIrZ0BCqESVofSVLyvO1H6FM>.
Extreme greed could promote mental dysfunction, given the constant
dissatisfaction involved.The greedy person might, for instance, pay too
little attention to the distress of a partner and fail to offer the
emotional support needed, as they are preoccupied by their own desires.
Another reason for shorter relationships may be that greedy people have a
tendency to objectify
<https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/insatiable-desires-how-dispositional-greed-affects-everyday-life>
their
relationships, treating them as a possession or a means to an end, and
perhaps replacing them once they lose their perceived value.
Though it may seem like pure self-interest at first,
greed is typically a response to deeper emotional and societal forces. Here
are four of the most common reasons why people tend to be greedy:
1. *Survival instincts:* Early humans needed to gather and store
resources to survive. This ancient impulse to hold onto extra still
lingers, even when lack of resources isn’t an immediate threat.
2. *Fear of scarcity: *People who have lived through instability, loss
<https://www.calm.com/blog/how-to-help-a-grieving-friend?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=blog&utm_campaign=why-are-people-greedy>,
or poverty may cling to what they have because they’re afraid of not having
enough.
3. *Cultural messages: *Modern life often equates success with wealth,
power, and status. And constant comparison, especially on social media, can
push people to want more.
4. *Personal insecurities: *For some, greed is a way to quiet deeper fears
<https://www.calm.com/blog/how-to-not-be-insecure?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=blog&utm_campaign=why-are-people-greedy>
of not being valued. Extra money, attention, and control can feel like
proof that they matter.
When someone gains something, they want, like money, praise,
or possessions, the brain releases dopamine, the chemical associated with
pleasure and motivation. And that rush of satisfaction can trigger a cycle
of increased desire for more, even when the person already has plenty.
additionally, research links greed to certain personality traits. People
who place a high value on material wealth or who struggle with cooperation
and empathy may be more prone to greedy behavior. But also, everyone’s
environment is a driving force. Stressful and competitive settings that
reward individual wins over teamwork can bring out greed even in people who
don’t typically act that way.
Lobha (लोभ) refers to “covetousness” (materialistic
greed) and represents a type of Ādhyātmika pain of the mental (*mānasa*)
type, according to the Viṣṇu-purāṇa 6.5.1-6
<https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/vishnu-purana-wilson/d/doc116066.html>.
Accordingly, “the wise man having investigated the three kinds of worldly
pain, or mental and bodily affliction and the like, and having acquired
true wisdom, and detachment from human objects, obtains final dissolution.”
LOBHA: Verse 8.120 PENALTY FOR PERJURY
लोभात् सहस्रं दण्ड्यस्तु मोहात् पूर्वं तु साहसम् ।
भयाद् द्वौ मध्यमौ दण्डौ मैत्रात् पूर्वं चतुर्गुणम् ॥ १२० ॥
*lobhāt sahasraṃ daṇḍyastu mohāt pūrvaṃ tu sāhasam* |
*bhayād dvau madhyamau daṇḍau maitrāt pūrvaṃ caturguṇam* || 120 ||
If through greed, he should be fined a thousand; if through embarrassment,
the lowest amercement; if through fear, two middling ones; if through
friendship, four times the first. —(120)
Thus, one who is a greedy and selfish, may not see any other,
even if GOD be, as existence. How do one expect the majority to change and
lead kindly life on this earth?
K Rajaram IRS 1226
On Sun, 1 Feb 2026 at 05:23, Markendeya Yeddanapudi <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> --
> *Mar*
>
> The Theodynamics
>
> Theo means God. Theodynamics means the dynamics of belief based on feeling
> and sensing. In the free and healthy nature every organism exhales its
> feelings into the air. The exhalations blend and every organism inhales the
> processed messages of nature. Ideas strike as discoveries and revelations.
> In the troposphere the gigantic processing of diverse messages get
> transformed into symbiotic ideas to each organism, suiting its specie
> particular paradigms. Theism simply is the flow of symbiotic messages from
> the air.
>
> The scientific proof of this cannot be the mechanical proof of Rene
> Descartes. One has to spend time in the free and healthy nature to
> experience the emotion based proof. The proof lies in feelings, feelings
> based understandings, and the feelings based discoveries and often
> shattering revelations that move to the core the whole gamut of perception,
> understanding and relation to nature, where the troposphere extends into
> one’s very being. One realizes that one is part of the planet earth and
> the make believe assumption as the outside spectatorship to do science is
> actually divorce from one’s own emotional self and mooring as the limb of
> earth. There is no machine in the whole earth that does not harm earth.
>
> Your life is the symbiotic interaction among octillions of bacteria in
> you, keeping you as you. Similarly the planet earth transforms into the
> person Gaia, because of the interaction among all the organisms of the
> Biosphere, and the bacteria in each organism. You cannot locate this
> gigantic non 3D process, via a Microscope or Telescope nor do any test tube
> research. Here research lies in creating feelings by experiencing life in
> the free and healthy nature. Research lies in emotionally relating to the
> flora and the fauna and feeling the Theological process.
>
> The feelings based on the Theologic, depends on the climate of the place.
> In the equatorial climate areas, where the flora and the fauna is extremely
> luxurious, the intensity of the Theo feeling will be at the maximum. Your
> feelings and emotions travel via your exhalations to every other organism,
> and the troposphere creates compelling theological feelings and emotions.
> You cannot introduce any mathematics or mechanics to measure the macro
> emotions. After all you cannot know the intensity of love of your wife’s
> love for you by using a Stethoscope. You have to live with her to feel her
> love. Similarly you have to live in the free and healthy nature to feel the
> Theodynamics of the place.
>
> There is no one God. The feeling of depends on the climate, flora and
> fauna of the place. Neither the dogmatic religions, nor the machines of
> Rene Descartes, relate to the Theodynamics. God can exist and function only
> in the free and healthy nature where there is no machine and where
> technology cannot be even conceptualized. Real Theology and the Cartesian
> technology are antonyms.
>
> Actually Theodynamics can be made into an extension of Thermodynamics. It
> is advanced Thermodynamics entering the realm of consciousness, feelings
> and understandings, crossing the taboo of science against consciousness.
>
> Today every University is shackled by technology and the taboo against
> consciousness. The result has been disastrous. Every course is adulterated
> by the anti ecological economics, destroying real education with machines.
> Year after year every university is sending its graduates to destroy nature
> to do the anti Theodynamics. Let us all pray for the emergence of at least
> one University that experiences Revelation from nature and starts a ‘Free
> Nature without Tampering So that the students feel lessons directly from
> nature and where their own living joins the Theodynamics.
>
> YM Sarma
>
>
>
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