ELVIS ELAHIE
In the 1987 movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko who was played by Michael Douglas said to a group of stockholders, greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all its forms–greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge–has marked the upward surge of mankind.
But how can greed be good? The simplest definition suggests a desire to possess more than one needs or deserves and involves taking more than one's fair share where a manic and misguided desire for more can perhaps never be satisfied. But for some, if not the majority, it is good.
A few months ago, one member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Gerard Ryle, in relation to the Panama Papers leak, indicated that the tax haven, created under the veil of secrecy, is a parallel universe where people can go to play and avoid the rules in their own country. They can go to offshore tax havens and basically do things they wouldn't be allowed to do at home. And we have seen that thousands of leading world figures have been identified as being part of this tax avoidance ring without being accused of criminal conduct or illegal act. But could something that is morally or ethically wrong be declared legal or permitted by law? Thus it can be suggested that law, like other institutions, has not sufficiently evolved in many places of the world. If legislation therefore can consider and include how humans ought to behave in relation to tax obligation, the country as a whole, and not just one individual will benefit.
Thus one cannot help but reflect upon the words of Jeffery Sachs, professor of economics and UN adviser on sustainable development which read: The kind of unsustained greed that is now loose...is leading not to real liberty but to corporate criminality and deceit; not to democracy but politics dominated by special interest; and not to prosperity but to income stagnation for much of the population and untold riches at the very top. The issues within the Panama Papers in my opinion are accurately alluded to in the above statement. Why should individuals hide their identities and financial affairs from public scrutiny in an effort to avoid tax? And where is all this money which goes into offshore accounts coming from? Is it the result of hard work and deserved earnings, or is it simply greed satisfied by clandestine behaviour?
There have been and there will always be attempts to rationalise greed. Whereas the enlightenment has positively influenced western societies and many other parts of the globe, the over-emphasis sometimes placed on liberalism has promoted rugged individualism where hedonistic pursuits have no limit. And self-gratification becomes the primary goal without moral and ethical consideration for others. Some even transform greed into humanity's highest vocation as they pursue what appears to be charitable cause but with extreme self-interest. Thus greed is prevalent to endemic proportions at every level of society. We have seen greed in the sporting arenas, in charitable organisations, and it has infected even the religious.
Those who subscribe to Prosperity Theology believe that the acquisition of wealth is God's will for them. Emphasis is therefore placed on tithing, not so that the less fortunate can be assisted through the contributions of the fortunate, but that the pockets of religious leaders can be filled. Throughout the world especially in North America, mega churches with charlatans as religious leaders demand huge sums of money with the promise of blessings in return. And push gullible people to believe that whatever they want in life God wants for them. Our small country is not immune to this kind of degeneracy. And it is surprising that many still allow themselves to be fooled by religious leaders who are in the business of planting seeds of fear, guilt and superstition and whose main goal is to offer a false sense of hope in return for large financial contributions as they continue to hijack scripture and offer healing.
We do not have to study much psychology to conclude that greed is addictive. Addiction suggests that enough is never enough and more is always needed. In many cases the pursuit of wealth does not heed the needs of others. And how wealth is arrived at may hardly be considered. With addiction, workers may be underpaid, immoral deals made, kickbacks offered and tax evasion secured. The addict so often does not care about who he/she hurts, robs or offends as long as the method achieves the desired end.
Can the problem of greed ever be solved? If it can, it will not be by instituting laws and regulations only. These will not be adequate in the absence of moral value and integrity. Human flourishing can only be achieved when those who own great wealth or who aspire to own great wealth spend time in self-reflection and honestly consider, when is too much too much, why is too much harmful and how they would have arrived at what they have.