Sunday, March 15, 2009

Thoughts on Greed

Tonight as I listened to the evening news I recalled a statement made by Abdu'l-Baha. Recent news reports have hightlighted the bonuses offered to executives at AIG, after that company received tax payer money. That act seems to underline a culture of greed.

Here is what Abdu'l-Baha said about greed:


"...greed, which is to ask for something more, is a praiseworthy quality provided that it is used suitably. So if a man is greedy to acquire science and knowledge, or to become compassionate, generous and just, it is most praiseworthy. " (Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 215)


Do you think that a greed for generosity, justice or compassion fueled the drive by AIG to provide its executives with larger bonuses? Do you think that AIG wanted to help its executives go after scientific, technological or financial knowledge? If I use Abdu'l-Baha's statement as a measure of AIG greed, I have to conclude that their greed was less than praiseworthy.

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