2009 – 8th Grade 2nd Place Winner.

Christine Park, Illinois.

Greed or Giving: Which Has a Greater Impact on Society?


"The most serious problem in the country today is the reckless and untrammeled greed," said the reporter Andrew Greely. I agree with what Greely says. Greed is the darkest, ugliest part of a human. The avaricious sensation is like walking unconsciously down a deep, dark hole, which consumes by the minute. Greed destroys society in many ways. Greed is represented by high class bosses cheating on their employees or the rich turning into the poor by recklessly gambling away their fortunes in a quest to acquire more money. Greed leads people to also create incredible inventions, while ignoring the fact that the same inventions also destroy the world. Greed has the greatest impact on society considering its ability to wreak havoc.
To begin, there are great companies out there, serving people and making them happy. But in the underside, many of these great companies do things that many of us do not witness. It's called cheating. What constitutes cheating? Let's just say, it's just like cheating in a game. Putting unfair prices on products and laying off employees. Some companies even sell useless/fake products at awfully large prices, taking money from oblivious customers who cannot afford to have the products they learn to covet by seeing them advertised on the television. For example, many jade bowls or antiques sold for high prices are fake or just plain glass molded to look just like that jewel or special kind of accessory. On top of that, many bosses treat their own employees terribly by laying them off while increasing their own large salaries. These acts of greed destroy the morals of society poisoning the hearts of those with power and ruining the lives of the powerless.
Secondly, sometimes it is not the greed or the politicians or CEO's but the greed in one's own heart that destroys his or her life. People like using things. Money is one of them. One of the things people like using money for is gambling. Roulette, horseracing, slow machines…these are some the many types of gambling many people enjoy. Why do people like to gamble? To many people, gambling is enjoyment. The high excitement, the great risks, the dirty money put on the game taken place…But behind the excitement, there's always unhappiness. Many have lost their life savings just because of their greed for more excitement, fun, and most of all, money. Just look at the poor living conditions of many out there; those are the results of using money for their own fun.
Computers, phones, light-bulbs…All these inventions have been developed to benefit the world. However, they were also made to make somebody a profit and believe it or not, these inventions are slowly eating away at the Earth's life force. The inordinate desire for electricity, profligate use of water, everything we do pollutes the world! And what's more horrifying is we know it. We know it, but we do little or nothing to improve it. This is because we believe we will not survive without the conveniences in our lives. We even believe we can't live without the most useless of things, just because of our greed and unselfish desire to acquire more and live better, even as we destroy the planet for the future.
There is one and only one thing that people can't get rid of: greed, the darkest, ugliest part of a human. The destructive capabilities of greed are represented by bosses cheating their employees, the rich turning into the poor by gambling, and people's constant creation and use of inventions that are destroying the world. But there is one thing that can dim out that evil part. That is giving. If we the people could try to increase our acts of giving, our world of greed will dim and our world will be a bright, clean utopia.

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