The article titled, The foul spirit of more, written by Fola Ojo, which appeared on page 18 of The PUNCH Newspaper of Friday, May 6, 2022, is most interesting. Fola Ojo asserts, “Some are just greedy beings. Greed. Call it what you wish in any linguistic tongue of your choosing. Brand it what you want, it is known by sundry nomenclatures. Avarice. Avidity. Rapacity. Covetousness. They all descend from the same genre. The demonic desire to dig in for more. The zest to salivate for what you have no need for even when you have enough.”
It surely cannot be argued that this foul spirit of more (Greed) is a major cause of corruption in our country. How can we explain the stealing of billions of naira by an individual? Such incidence is common these days. So Fola Ojo is perfectly correct to describe it as demonic. There has been no satisfactory explanation and justification for the existence of evil on earth. And there cannot be. Genuine satisfaction, contentment, as well as true inner happiness, absolutely banish the foul spirit of more or greed. Indeed, whoever experiences such personal satisfaction must discover that less is more. And that irrefutably, more is less. No material acquisition or possession brings such contentment. It is a spiritual reward for a fair striving for good and general love for all mankind. This should be the goal of all well-meaning people.
The desire to do more, to get more, never to rest on our oars, is probably divinely ordained because stagnation is not only retrogression but it could lead and indeed does lead to death. For only in perpetual movement is radiant health and peace guaranteed. It is this unconscious awareness that one must continue to toil in order to be a useful link or member of this wonderful and wondrous creation that urges and pushes and pulls one to work unstoppably. But there is a great lack of understanding in this matter. Knowledge of the fact that only in giving can one truly receive appears to be in dearth in the rank and file of those obsessed with or ruled or dominated by the foul spirit of more. If what we acquire is equitably used to enable and ennoble others to be on their feet, greed would disappear and a more robust, happy society could emerge. Surely, this spirit of helpfulness and cooperativeness can culminate in a great reduction in crime. As we are given more, we ought to reflect and act in the furtherance of others to enhance the common good, thereby highlighting the utilitarian principle. As we all know, any overload weighs down the object carrying the load. The same thing happens to a morbid sense of acquisitiveness. Possessions should be revalued, explored and exploited to help others live.
And yet, perhaps, it is easier said than done. How? It is an open secret that not uncommonly, many have turned against their benefactors to either harm or out rightly eliminate them. Such beneficiaries easily quickly forget how needy they were before they were supported to get out of a life of want and painful deprivations. Some even fail to show gratitude to the one who led them to the desired goal. When I say gratitude, it means simply saying thank you, not gift presentation. It may surprise some to hear that some people do not and/or cannot say thank you no matter what you do for them.
And again, the sole cause of yearning to eliminate or evaporate (apology to George Orwell—1984) one’s great helper is the foul spirit of greed. Greed is like an infectious plague in our clime. Inner vacuum, an unknown disconnect with or from the prince of peace, the Holy Spirit may well be the number one candidate to blame for this unsatisfactory state of affairs.
Man’s yearning for esteem and prestige is also a principal motivator for rapacity. Desire for esteem and prestige could only spring from vanity. One sincerely deeply engrossed in daily toil has no incentive for esteem and prestige. And vanity lurks everywhere with many people not recognising it. A teacher says vanity, conceit and intellect are the arch-enemies of this humankind. They are the sole forces blocking the road to progress of this mankind. Vanity obscures truth and honest service. It has grown almost irremovable roots on this earth. It has become a golden gaudy cap. It has won many awards. It, vanity, raises its head most obtrusively prominently, where one least expects to find it. Vanity has almost innumerable children! Unhealthy competition and hatred are some of the strong children of vanity. Government efforts to berth an egalitarian society would always remain a mirage as long as vanity holds sway on this earth. One would have thought that religious and spiritual circles would be the first to recognise seats of vanity and take steps to asphyxiate it. Unfortunately, this has not yet happened.
Now, how can this cankerworm, vanity and its children—greed, unhealthy competition, hatred and the likes—be disposed of, rid of, so that the long-awaited peace and tranquillity may reign on this so sorely troubled and gambled earth?
Do we know what simplicity is? I learn that simplicity is one leg of a triad, the other two legs being clarity and naturalness. Could it (simplicity) be the bullet to kill vanity and therewith efface greed? Maybe.
- Idegun Unegbato writes from Lagos
