“Greed Is Good.” Do You Agree?

Greed, in definition, is an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods. Normally, greed is considered a source of evil and sin. However, some people may think in the other way that greed is a source of incentives that drive people to make progress. In my opinion, greed is not good since an excessive desire can likely lead to a wrong manner of people to pursue their desirability. It is so for not only individuals, but also for the government and even a country.

First of all, greed is a source that leads to crime. Normally, greed can explain why there have always been cases of theft. Since some greedy people are always not satisfied with what they have, they are thinking of an easier way to get more wealth, which is theft. A research in China has shown that more than 90% of theft cases are due to criminals’ desire of pelf. These people cannot control their own desire of possessing more and more wealth, hence stealing from others, which causes the loss of others and bad social ethos. Another aspect is that greed can cause the corruption of a government. One example is that there is an average of 10 provincial officials under investigation every year in China because of bribery. Since these officials are bribed, they will work for those people who bribe them, which is normally on the expense of the public right. Therefore, greed brings harm to both individuals and the society

Furthermore, greed may also be a factor that compromises a person’s health. A person who is not abstemious of eating and drinking will likely get health problems. According to statistics in 2008, 19.3% of American youth are obese or overweight, and most of them like eating a lot of unhealthy fast food. People who drink a lot also have a higher chance of getting liver diseases. A study has shown that more than 60% of the people who drink will get liver diseases, and 20%-30% of them will get hepatocirrhosis. Hence, it is so obvious that greed is bad for one’s health, and people who indulge