Greed

"Greed is the logical result of the belief that there is no life after death." (Fred Catherwood)

We are living in the world of consumerism. People mindlessly grab or buy more stuff than what they really need. My wife makes fun of the fact that I have seven pairs of shoes. Her thinking is that at most two or three pairs of shoes are enough for me, who is a man. She may be right, even though I strongly disagree with her. I need seven pairs of shoes for official or casual occasions, running, walking, hiking, snow boots, or even for painting. I, too, am living in the world of consumerism and can be the victim of greed. Material (or money) is not evil, per se. But it has a seducing power that hypnotizes us to the point of forgetting that there is another life after death. How can I overcome greed? What is the antidote of greed? How can I be a good steward of money given to me? As the above quote from Catherwood, I should remind myself of that this world is not everything, but that there is another life after death. I easily forget this basic truth of Christianity.

In the movie "Patton", there is one line saying:

"For over a thousand years Roman conquers returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. And a slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: 'All glory is fleeting.'"

Or another similar vein of the story says that, at the triumphal procession, a slave was assigned to ride the chariot with the victorious general to whisper into his ear, "Remember that you are mortal - momento mori."

But not like the Roman stoicism, the Bible does not just stop at telling us about the fleeting nature of human life (Obviously even the secular philosophy contains the half of truth, but not the whole picture of it). It powerfully proclaims the consumingly bright and glorious future of our next life in the kingdom of God, especially in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. It says that my life in the next world is much better than this life, and that I am just passing through this world to go to that place. I sincerely believe that only that living hope is the real antidote of greed. When one is enthralled with the thought of living in glorious inheritance, his or her soul is less attached to this fleeting world, no matter how enchanting it may appear. I pray for my soul as Paul prayed for the Ephesians:

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people." (Eph 1:18)