Greed is a form of Denial that in the inner heart there is grief unresolved.
Greed is saying publicly, to be heard and seen, “Expand to conceal the grief that hides inside.”
That is why greed feeds and feeds on others, imagining that power and control will cure the inner misery.
But only purifying the inner heart of its grief will lead to satisfaction, peace, and justice.
So letting go of greed is one and the same as being kind on one’s inner heart, one’s inner self, and acknowledging in a brief moment of humility that you only grieve if you have loved. That makes you more of a human being, not less. It is not weak or unmanly to love and to grieve. It is manly to be a human who loves enduringly.
Grief emotions are unpleasant, but they are there for a reason, not only in bereavement following the death of a loved one, but they can move us to respond constructively to everyday setbacks and disappointments, both big and small. Grieving constructively and wisely is part of our survival mechanisms as social creatures. Grief emotions understood ‘responsibly’ enable people to respond together in ways that explore how to renew life. Grieving constructively is part of wise and just leadership.
Too often in this tragic and violent world, leaders become greedy.
