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Greed is good!

The natural tendency of life is to want more and more so I echo Gekko’s sentiments “…that greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.” As we grow through life we are exposed to different things, we have different experiences and aspire to achieve all things that are bigger and better; this is all fueled and motivated by greed – healthy greed.

Ref: Gekko's speech in the Movie "Wall Street"
Greed has the power to change one’s circumstances in life. If we all want “it” bad enough then knowing that you can actually attain “it”, and abundantly so, if you put your mind to it is all you need to get you going. Our needs and wants are gradually changing and change is good if you want a better and rewarding life. All we do stems from wanting more, bigger and better – that’s greed!

Deontology, do the right thing:
Immanuel Kant's opinion of the Wall Street movie would refer to his categorical imperatives – most notably that “a person should treat other people as having intrinsic value and not merely as means to achieve one’s end and that Teldar Paper’s management has a duty and obligation to everyone that they employ.” Kant advocates that we morally and ethically do and change what needs to be changed so the world can be a better place.

He would agree with Gekko in that “Teldar Management owns less than 3 percent of the company.” Therefore they (the 3%) are duty-bound to the 97 percent that “owns” the company and should, in actual fact, be generating and sharing wealth with them (the 97%) i.e. do the right thing and act in an acceptable manner.

Me, Me, Me! – egoism:
Egoism is not about putting the interests of others before your own (that’s altruism), it is the other way around. Here you take care of yourself so you can be able to take care of others – simply put, you cannot be in a position to do greater good if you don’t look after your self-interest first.

This particular speech reflects on rational egoism (that being selfish is sensible) and Gekko goes on to say that “the new law of evolution in corporate America seems to be survival of the unfittest… you either do it right or you get eliminated.” These are the exact sentiments shared by AYN RAND (1905-1982) - “Since nature does not provide man with an automatic form of survival, since he has to support his own life by his own effort, the doctrine that concern with one’s own interests is evil means that man’s desire to live is evil – that man’s life, as such, is evil. No doctrine could be more evil than that.”

Fair is fair – distributive justice:
The basis here is that if you work for it and earn it, then you deserve it – fair and square! Everyone has a choice and an opportunity to go out there and hustle so they can live the life of their dreams or sit back and be the victim of their circumstances.

We are all presented with opportunities in our lives so if you cannot attain anything in your life then you must not be in the way of those who believe they can. We are all limited by our imagination and what motivates us – some live in “hope” and others live in “action.”

CONCLUSION:
You cannot be in a position to do greater good if you don’t look after your self-interest first. Greed will empower you so you can be able to use and share your spoils to empower others.

SUS1501/8 - 2018 by SJ Ngobeni-Radebe

 SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Youtube
UNISA
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Location: South Africa

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