Why It Pays to Shun Greed

“Make yourself an honest man and then you may be sure there is one rascal less in the world.” –Thomas Carlyle

People do unethical things more out of greed than anything else. It is because of greed that people cut corners, cheat and generally do things that demean their persons and put their businesses in jeopardy. Greed makes people shun ethics, bend the truth, take undue and unnecessary risks for instant gratification. It is greed that lures people into gambling and many other negative vices. Remember the parable of the straw that broke the camel’s back? That is what greed does to the greedy. The following story best illustrates the danger of excessive greed.

“A wealthy farmer was once offered all the land he could walk on in a day provided he returned by sundown to the point at which he started. To get a head start, early the next morning, the farmer started covering ground quickly because he wanted to get as much land as he could. Even though he was tired, he kept going all afternoon because he didn’t want to lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain more wealth. Late in the afternoon, he remembered that the condition he had to fulfill to get the land was to get back to the starting point by sundown. His greed had gotten him far from the starting point. He started his return journey, keeping an eye on how close he was to sundown. The closer it got to sundown, the faster he ran. He was exhausted and out of breath and he pushed himself beyond the point of endurance. He collapsed upon reaching the starting point and died. He did make it before sundown. He was buried and all the land he needed was a small plot.” Adapted from Shiv Khera, “You can Win”

Let me add that even though this farmer was already wealthy before this extremely greedy adventure, no portion of his wealth followed him into the grave.

 

Why You Must Take Calculated Risks

“The only limits to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

There is no absolute certainty in any human endeavor. When there is a reasonable chance of success, the best thing to do is to go ahead. If you wait till all the conditions are right and favorable, you may never commence. You may lose many opportunities because of indecision. You should therefore learn to take calculated risks all the time. In the year 1980, Mr. Ted Turner announced his plans for a new business venture. He announced that he wanted to begin round-the-clock television broadcasting to the whole world. This is how Cable News Network, CNN was born. At the beginning, many people doubted the sanity of Mr. Turner. He was tough enough to face the criticisms and near early-failure that was the lot of the venture. He stayed the course and nurtured CNN to revolutionize and redefine the entire broadcasting industry of the world. CNN matured to become a multi-billion dollar enterprise and Mr. Turner as a result became one of the wealthiest and most powerful media men in the world. He took risks and strode to wealth in his unshakable vision and toughness to stay the course of his convictions. It is a fact of life that those who always make a difference are those who take risks, make tough decisions and generally live on the edge.

Those who always play safe, extra-cautious and never take risks somehow manage to miss a lot of opportunities. They seldom make progress. People who are too cautious never get to live a full life. I have taken this statement to heart since I came across a particular poem in July 1997 at Kotoka Airport in Ghana. While waiting for my luggage, I leafed through a magazine and a poem caught my attention. I can’t now recall the author but I wrote it down and herewith reproduce it for you.

“There was a very cautious man

Who never laughed or played.

He never risked, he never tried,

He never sang or prayed.

And when he one day passed away,

His insurance was denied.

For since he never really lived,

They claimed he never died.”

Take this poem to heart. It comes handy whenever you become too complacent.