The etymological origin of greed is found in cupidĭtas, a Latin word. That word that derives in turn from “cupidus”, which can be translated as “ambitious”, and from the verb “cupire”, which is synonymous with “wanting very vividly”.
Greed is the excessive and exalted ambition for money, goods or other types of wealth. For example: “The greed of the big businessmen has caused the destruction of the environment”, “Francisco always acts out of greed”, “You must take care of people with such greed”.
Greed is a vice that leads someone to want to hoard more than they need. This desire to accumulate wealth is translated into various actions that are contrary to the precepts of morality and ethical behavior, since they can have negative consequences for other people or even for society in general.
Suppose an entrepreneur sets up a chemical factory next to a river. Entrepreneurship allows you to access millionaire profits, but various studies show that it pollutes the environment. Not caring that his company is destroying the planet and people’s quality of life, he decides to continue with the activity and gives bribes to the authorities so that they do not close the plant. The businessman in question is not interested in the fact that he has already accumulated a large amount of money and that he does not need this project to survive: his greed makes him continue to harm others in order to continue enriching himself.
It is established that greedy people identify themselves because they are egocentric, because they always present an envious attitude as well as because they have an absolute lack of empathy. In the same way, we cannot ignore that they are never satisfied with what they have, that they need to satisfy their needs immediately or that they turn out to be manipulative.
In addition to what is indicated, it must be established that the greedy people do not have limits when it comes to seeking what is the satisfaction of their needs.
Out of greed, an individual can commit various crimes: from scams to robberies and even murders, if the action allows him to obtain benefits. Without going to that extreme, a person may neglect loved ones or act selfishly out of greed.
Within the literary field, we can highlight that the term greed has been used to be able to give a title to different works. A good example of this is the novel “Greed”, published in 2012 and written by the author Alberto Vázquez Figueroa.
It tells the story of Humberto Alejandro Espinosa de Mendoza Spencer-Wallis, a wealthy aristocrat from Madrid, who dedicates himself to living life and who enjoys being single. One day he receives a visit that will alter his existence: he has been chosen to dismantle an important financial group that has specialized in money laundering. For that, she must infiltrate a dangerous world, where corruption and violence are the general trend, and she will do so with the help of a wealthy Ecuadorian woman.
