“I always debate in my head, do I really need this? Or do I just want to need it?”

ThatDoodNathan

We’ve all had one of those moments where we see something we want desperately, whether it be a new toy, game, romantic partner, or whatever, and would literally do anything to get it. For me, this feeling doesn’t last for long, as I have my ways of forcing myself out of this funk, but for others, this funk is more than just a funk. It is a full-on addiction, a control over their mind like a remote to a television. It is not a simple black-or-white situation. It is a deep rabbit hole, forever deep, tumbling those who fall into it into horrible situations.

Roderigo from the play Othello was a man who was head over heels in love with a girl named Desdemona. He wanted her, and he wanted her badly. He would do anything to have her sniff in his direction, claiming “I’ll sell all my land“, and giving money to his not-so-trusty “friend” to gain her love. This is what I call toxic greed, greed that mutates seemingly benign emotions into toxic versions of themselves. It can turn love into lust, and it can turn dining into gluttony if someone goes past the line that is toxic greed, everything action they take in order to gain what they want has a much higher chance of going vile. But why does this happen? How can normal reactions turn harmful? The short and unsatisfying answer is that it depends on the person. Someone who tends to have more emotional attachments to things can develop toxic greed much more easily than someone who feels little to no emotion toward anything.

Now, by now you should realize that toxic greed isn’t something one would want to have around in their head. So how should we prevent toxic greed from taking over our minds, and how do we negate its effects on someone under the influence of it? The main way I usually protect myself from its influence is by thinking in my head about how rational I’m being in the moment. What would I do to gain what I want, given that I could physically do it? For example, let’s say I have a crush on a girl. What would I do to gain her love? Would I start a new hobby that she would like, or would I “remove” the romantic competition? If I see myself on the more dangerous side of the spectrum, then I would know that I have been taken over by toxic greed. By then, I would try to limit my thoughts on her and focus on more important tasks I need to do, such as homework and chores, to remove my toxic mindset brought on by the toxic greed. For someone else, I would ask the same questions, and adjust accordingly.

Toxic greed really is a horrible trait. It has led to many petty and preventable tragedies and accidents, and probably sent thousands of people to the second circle of hell. And it is not hard to blame those who were taken over by toxic greed, because of how easy it is to manifest. But luckily, there are many ways to negate and prevent it from happening, for our wants to stay untangled with our needs.