Greed is Good???

 

 

Most of us are familiar with the expression “greed is good” coined by Michael Douglas in his role, Gordon Gekko in the 1987 Oliver Stone movie, Wall Street. The movie’s impact and specifically Gekko’s character eventually became synonymous with unrestrained greed, especially with regard to corporate finance. The movie has had a pervasive effect on our culture as it has often been used to illustrate greed and not always related  to the finance sector. 

So here now almost 30 years later, we still cite the phrase as we frame our discussion regarding greed in our gospel, (Luke 12:13-21). I believe that greed is one of those words that by definition simply has no positive meaning. Only the most callous could find a place in which greed can be good. Of course, most of us will agree with that, but our sometimes our behavior reveals an altogether different creed. Let’s face it, we are all products of a culture which is rooted in “consumerism,” and a society that is preoccupied with the acquisition of things. 

Last week our gospel (Luke11:1-13) and its discussion focused on prayer and our call to be persistent in our asking God for what we “want” and we know that our prayers are always answered, albeit in accordance with God’s plan, not ours. Not coincidentally, this week’s reading of Luke 12: 13-21, Jesus asks us to temper our desire for those self-centered acquisitions and attachments that serve as distractions and do not contribute to living in the Jesus way. While we are asked to be persistent in our petitions, we are asked to be considerate as to our motives and the things that we request of God.

So, why is the rich farmer in our story called a fool? One could easily argue that the rich man is being prudent and responsible. He has a thriving farm and his land has produced so abundantly that he does not have enough storage space in his barns for his abundance. As such, he plans to pull down his existing barns and build bigger ones in order to store his grain and goods. Then he will have ample savings set aside for the future and will be all set to enjoy his “golden years.”

Isn’t this what we are encouraged to strive for? Isn’t it wise and responsible to save for the future? The rich farmer would probably be a good financial planner as he seems to have things figured out. He has worked hard and saved wisely. Now he can sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of his labor, right? No, the rich farmer is a fool not because he is wealthy or because he saves for the future, but because he appears to live only for himself, and because he believes that he can secure his life with his abundant possessions. 

As we reflect on this gospel and our lives we ask where does this pre-occupation come from and how do we free ourselves from it? Without trying to oversimplify, it seems to me that the source of our greed may stem from a lack of satisfaction with life. We just don’t seem to be able to look at where we are, what we have, what we’re doing, and admit to ourselves that life is good and all things considered, just fine the way it is. There’s always something we want to change and there’s always another “golden calf” out there that we imagine will be the thing that will make our lives complete. But will it? No matter how much stuff we manage to acquire, it will never be enough. There would still be an empty place within that won’t be filled with newer, nicer, better things.

St. Augustine said, “Thou hast formed us for thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” This ancient truth provides the answer to how we can be free from the obsessions that fail to satisfy us. The steadfast unconditional love of God is a love that surrounds and holds us constantly. It is a love that is like the very air we breathe. If God’s love can be found in something so basic to our very existence as air, surely it can be found in the other aspects of our lives as well. We only need the desire and eyes to see it.