We need change.

[devonin]

Re: We need change.

And amsuingly, a full half of the wealthiest CEOs in our "horrible, greedy, capitalist' state graduated their colleges with liberal arts degrees like history, philosophy, or labour studies.

[x-Thief]

Re: We need change.

Greed in itself isn't a real problem. It's the means by which people satisfy their greed that becomes an issue.

Greed, and desire to have a better life for yourself isn't bad. If it weren't for greed, conditions would never improve. There would never be new inventions and such, as no one would be desiring better for themselves.

It only becomes a problem, when people are willing to use counterproductive means of getting what they desire. For example lying and theft are when greed becomes a issue.

How could we correct the problem? Why we'd have to teach the public to suppress urges of greed.

Removing greed entirely would create poor conditions, and perhaps with no greed at all there would perhaps be no desire to live even. Greed is only bad because it's provocative of corruption. And since there's no way to remove corruption completely from humanity, removing greed wouldn't create that much of a positive change. If it wasn't greed instigating corruption, people wouldn't only find something else to kill each other over.

[Magic187]

Re: We need change.

Greed is human nature.
But the way society portrays everything at the present, how can we make greed something benificial?
We can't.
We're following the natural order of things. Everything must come to an end, and we are close.

[devonin]

Re: We need change.

How is following the natural order of things not beneficial? It got us this far without rendering ourselves extinct.

[ljw5021]

Re: We need change.

You can't camp, hike, climb, or bike without materials, and you can't make up games very long without materials...

for instance, food.

By saying materialistic I mean materials for pure pleasure, or for status symbols.

You can camp without equipment. You can hike without gear. You can climb with no gear (very dangerous, but you can). Biking requires a bike, but I don't believe that to be materialistic. It's a form of transportation, like a horse would be 200 years ago.

[devonin]

Re: We need change.

You can hike without gear. You can climb with no gear (very dangerous, but you can).

So...hiking and climbing in the nude...sounds like a perfectly valid form of exercise and enjoyment to me, I guess. Materials means more than just specialised equipment.

Biking requires a bike, but I don't believe that to be materialistic. It's a form of transportation, like a horse would be 200 years ago.

Meant you were a hell of a lot wealthier than the poor sots who had to walk everywhere, who were in turn a lot wealthier than the poorer sots who had to walk everywhere barefoot.

[Kilroy_x]

Re: We need change.

By saying materialistic I mean materials for pure pleasure, or for status symbols.

How do you distinguish? Technically if you use a bicycle to bike, a tent to camp, or whatever, aren't you using these materials purely for your own enjoyment? What's wrong with status symbols?

You can camp without equipment. You can hike without gear. You can climb with no gear (very dangerous, but you can). Biking requires a bike, but I don't believe that to be materialistic. It's a form of transportation, like a horse would be 200 years ago.

It may be a form of transportation, but the fact is you are using it entirely for entertainment. Just because you can do things without equipment doesn't mean those things are any less enjoyment based activities. Bicycles didn't always use to exist. 200 years ago, do you think horse riding would be an OK entertainment past time? When bicycles first came into existence, don't you think they might have been conceived as status symbols, since they were more expensive and served the same purpose as a horse? How about cars?

[lord_carbo]

Re: We need change.

America is a very greedy country full of very greedy people. I don't believe myself to be materialistic in the least. I find pleasure in life's simplest endeavors. I love camping, hiking, climbing, biking, making up games with friends...

If you let materials take over your life, they push away the things very dear to you...your family and friends.

By saying materialistic I mean materials for pure pleasure, or for status symbols.

You can camp without equipment. You can hike without gear. You can climb with no gear (very dangerous, but you can). Biking requires a bike, but I don't believe that to be materialistic. It's a form of transportation, like a horse would be 200 years ago.

So what you're trying to do is classify hiking and climbing rocks and stuff like that higher on some moral hierarchy than other things that are also purely for your enjoyment, no? Wow.

Hell, I have yet to know why being greedy is a bad thing in the first place. Greed is the thing that motivates us to do things in our own interest. It's a wonderful thing, truly.