By Karanveer Singh Rai
When driven by mere acquisition
On the glittering path to perdition
You may seem to go far
But with no guiding star
You will fade like a dim apparition
5 lines. A mere 5 lines was all it took to perfectly encompass the path of greed, of hunger. Hunger for what? Hunger for more. More money. More power. It doesn’t seem to matter to those hungry. If more can be had, more must be had. Such are the thoughts of those consumed by greed, the demon on their shoulder.
When looking deeper, more attentively, the presence and effect of this demon around us seems all too clear. But, the question is, have we reached the limit? Has greed finally overtaken need? Regrettably, the answer to this question is yes. How could it not be? In a nation where with each passing year, the poor get poorer, the rich get richer, always wanting more.
This greed of a few people, in turn, has plummeted the entire nation in turmoil. Although the poverty rate has been declining steadily, the real story is told by wealth distribution. India’s richest 1% holds 40% of the total health, having more than 16,673 times the national average. This 1% makes giant skyscrapers as a family home, while 2,00,000 people roam the streets of Delhi, searching for a bench to spend their nights in. This 1% tours the world in private jets and eats in the most expensive restaurants, while millions go days without food, trying to make ends meet. Yet, this 1% still wants more.
There are multiple reasons as to why this is a bad idea. Multiple examples of the consequences of unending greed and avarice have been sprinkled throughout history. Rome is a perfect example. Rome withstood its enemies for a thousand years. It finally collapsed in 476 AD after decades of corruption so weakened the empire that it could no longer stand. In the 3d - 5th centuries AD, Roman officials abused their positions to became fabulously wealthy, but the empire itself was running out of money. And thus, the famous Roman empire destroyed itself because of corruption, ignorance, avarice, entitlement, and nepotism.
Does this not seem like the path our nation is on, where greed overtakes need?
Reform is absolutely necessary and urgent. For greed is not present at the surface, it corrupts the roots, infects them with its malicious hunger. Simplistic, overused reforms will never work. Greed needs to be eradicated from the very minds it affects. But, they say, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. So the only way to eradicate this scourge on our nation and the world is to make sure that the next generation doesn’t fall to its advances.
But of course, change will be opposed. Opposed by those who wish to preserve the old ways, forever binding our nation in this cycle of greed and avarice. We must stay focused to cure humanity by the plague which has corrupted it for centuries: Greed.
By Karanveer Singh Rai
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