Greed is a selfish desire for more than one needs. In biblical terms it’s one of the seven deadly sins but otherwise. It is deeply intertwined with dissatisfaction, a discontent felt when expectations are not met. These two emotions can be difficult to effectively understand and differentiate for their impacts on the human mind. 

Greed: mistaking desire as a necessity 

Oxford Languages defines greed as the: “excessive desire for more of something than needed”. It is natural to feel greed; it is a normal emotion. This is likely because there’s always more that can be achieved. From a religious perspective, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would desire a second one. And if he were given the second, he would desire a third, for nothing fills the belly of the son of Adam except dust”. Essentially, your joy of achievement or self-worth dissipates as you feel obligated to achieve more, no matter the cost.  

But this cost is usually at the expense of someone or something else. Greed is an emotion fuelled on self-centred, selfish behaviour, to be greedy is to be inconsiderate of the situation of others. While greed originates in evolutionary survival instincts, it is largely rooted in psychological and emotional factors. For example, it masks a fear of inadequacy or scarcity where humans, by nature, remain uncertain of what the future holds and prepare by hoarding as much as possible. Humans could be seen as naturally competitive; our brains compare our achievements to those of others and, hence, fuel a need to match or surpass them.  

Although greed often creates a drive for ambition and hunger, it is ultimately relentless, deceiving and therefore you should self-restrain from it. Greed can lead humans to go to extreme lengths to satisfy a thirst for obtaining what they desire. Erich Fromm, a 20th century psychoanalyst, described greed as: “a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction”. Greed acts as only self-sabotage, ruining your perception of achievement, celebration of it and accepting what you cannot fulfil. Instead, it is important to stop once in a while to count your blessings and appreciate all you have in life, be it given or earned. 

Dissatisfaction: pushing yourself to your limits 

To be greedy requires an element of dissatisfaction. However, there are key differences that help us interpret what exactly dissatisfaction. Oxford Languages defines dissatisfaction as: “a lack of fulfilment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs”. It is associated with feelings of frustration, discontent and even anger. We are met with dissatisfaction so often in life, it is important to acknowledge and accept this so that we understand how to build upon feelings of dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction can be dealt with two main ways: to either sulk about your problems or to focus on rectifying your situation to achieve your goals. The latter can be referred to as “constructive dissatisfaction” [A Wealth of Common Sense].  

David Goggins is an American author and former Navy SEAL and ultra-marathon (100+ miles) runner. He is a popular representation of how to confidently achieve your goals through constructive dissatisfaction. Goggins has ran countless races for hundreds of miles through treacherous conditions. During his races, when he reaches the 30-mile mark he tells himself it is not enough. He reaches 70 miles, but repeats to himself that it is still not enough; he must go further. It is this mentality that carves out the foundation to achieving the seemingly impossible in life. In Navy SEAL training, it is described as “the 40% rule” – when your mind tells you to quit, your body is only truly at 40% of its limit. To us, as young students, Goggins’ accolades almost belittle our ambition; how big are our dreams compared his achievements? However, the point to understand from Goggins’ story is that no dream or goal is too big, so long as you remain in control of fulfilling it.  

Dissatisfaction and limitations are often seen in our daily lives as students too. Many of us at Xaverian play sports or complete both mentally and physically strenuous, challenging activities on a daily basis. Lower Sixth student and amateur cricketer Ayyan Saqib recalls his first team debut for his cricket club in which: “against all odds, I managed to score my maiden half-century (50 runs) for the club”, a decisive contribution to win a crucial game for his team. Ayyan’s mind could have given up on him when he had made 20 runs, for even that is a notable contribution as a debutant. However, he negotiated with his mind to: “eliminate all thoughts of defeat” to achieve the remarkable accomplishment he did. Hence, Ayyan was able to make his team, family and, most importantly, himself proud. This is the reward for stepping outside your comfort zone and manipulating dissatisfaction to drive you to achieve the absolute best you can. As young people, he believes: “it’s crucial that we face our fears constantly and often”. It’s a crucial skill for life as it will allow you to remain psychologically unbreakable as life gets tougher.  

My take 

I think the solution to one’s greed often results in someone else being harmed. On the other hand, the solution to one’s dissatisfaction lies internally: to go the extra mile for your own benefit and at no one else’s cost. If there’s anything you should take away from this, it would be to channel your greed into constructive dissatisfaction to achieve the unthinkable in life and leave a permanent mark on this world, letting it know that it failed to break you.