The country was recently hit with the news of the US government cutting $50 million – or 1.4-billion-kwacha medical aid to Zambia. Why? Because of the systematic thefts of medications and medical supplies.
The question we all have is why wasn’t anything done when this was reported or why this grand systematic theft. And am sure most of us will agree to say its greediness at the highest level of people mandated to be of service to the Zambian people.
Almost every street corner has a pharmacy, almost every filling station has one and we wonder how profitable this business is of a sudden and now this revelation makes sense and regrettably so. Similarly, every street corner has a liquor shop, what is the source of this liquor? Smuggled? Do they all meet the licencing requirements?
Greed is a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed. For some people, this pursuit can become an all-consuming obsession that leads to unethical or even illegal behaviours of stealing medicines and medical supplies that should freely benefit the country.
Some people are willing to pursue money at any cost, even if it means compromising their own values and relationships. While the pursuit of wealth and power can be a source of motivation and innovation, it can also be a destructive force that perpetuates inequality and harm.
People need money, we all need money so that we can be able to meet needs and take care of ourselves and our families. People always have unmet needs and there is an ever-increasing stack of challenges that requires money to be solved. Sometimes, they go as far as borrowing to meet needs and end up borrowing to pay debts. It is an unending cycle of lack. This forces us to pursue money at all costs because we have limited options. While other people, just due to greediness, will pursue money so that friends look at them as rich folks or as the most happening. Their selfish nature of entertaining new tastes as they climb up the social ladder and wanting to show off by comparing with what others have ends up putting people in schemes that defraud the masses.
Some people have been blessed with good government jobs, they are entitled to allowances they never dreamed of their whole lives. And these people do not even have school going children to pay school fees for and if they have children of their own, these are normally benefitting from international scholarships. But these same people who are not contented are always dissatisfied with their lives irrespective of the level they are at or what they have. The individuals in government are living in government houses, bills paid for by tax payers, free fuel and living in areas that are not load shedded and have water supply 24/7 yet they are in a perpetual state of want and this influences how they pursue money and the need to make deals which negatively affect the lives of Zambians.
Envy often works alongside greed. People who are envious of others are usually greedy. Once holding a good government position, some people want to be at the same level as one who has been in business for years and hence go to great lengths to have money without considering the means. They convince themselves that the end justifies the means and will not care what they do to own property and cars and compete in terms of book balances with people who have more than they do.
Some greedy people who have a sense of insecurity do not consider what they have as enough. They always compare themselves with other people and end up feeling inadequate. They want to measure up to a certain standard and this drives an excessive desire to make money. They want to be big buyers of a sudden and compete on whom they can date in society hence go ahead and do sneaky deals that endanger lives of people they are suppose to serve.
The excessive desire for money is not a good approach to building wealth. Making more money will always be a need because asides from taking care of one’s personal finance and gaining financial freedom, we all want to build generational wealth for our children and this means you have to do more such as having a side hustle. But the need for money ought to be in check, just enough to keep you safe from making financial decisions that are detrimental to your money goals.
The relationship between greed and money has never been a good one. It comes with an illusion of more money but in the long run, you are creating unhealthy money habits and losing money. We recently had a bracelet manufacturing investment that saw people lose monies and this is not the first time that Zambians are being scammed. The question is, why do people fall victims? It is the greediness of wanting quick and easy money that makes people fall for such scams. If it’s too good to be true, then think twice before investing and don’t allow greediness take over and make you believe you can make quick money without effort and hard work.
When you allow greed to become the basis of your financial decisions, it causes more harm than good and you may never come to that point of thinking you have enough because enough will never be good enough.
The need to get rich quickly leads to illogical decisions. For the poor, they find themselves in get rich quick schemes or get scammed through online scams. For those in government, they end up getting into deals which give them unfair advantages but disadvantages the people they are serving.
Greed can be a source of debt as it will make you borrow money to meet up with a certain lifestyle which can put you in a bad position financially. It is obvious that you don’t have enough money to meet that standard of living. More so, an excessive desire to make money quickly makes you susceptible to fraud and scam schemes. You’ll meet people with ridiculous and unreasonable terms that prey on your desperation.
Greed leads to unhealthy money habits like gambling, betting, excessive shopping, etc. Why do you think people gamble and bet even when it is clearly not good for them? A consequence of discontentment is being in situations where you have to spend above your budget or satisfy habits that are detrimental to your financial health.
Greed also drives people to believe they are entitled to what they have not earned. Just because you are in the ruling party doesn’t not mean you must drive the latest model of a car or that does not mean your account balance should be a certain level, that kind of mindset of “its our time” leads to wrong deeds and deals that affect the masses such as the issue at hand where we are reliably informed that this involves high level culprits.
Ironically, people who want to have money tend to spend money. Remember that greed doesn’t only relate to money alone. Greed for power, social status, possessions, food, etc can influence your spending habits to an unhealthy level such that you now want to do family holidays in destinations your income cannot clearly afford and this is what makes people do deals such as sinking so low as to steal medicines and medical supplies. You begin to think certain brand of vehicles are no longer vehicles when all these years you were its main advocate due to its servicing parts being easily accessible in our country.
In breaking a cycle of greed, one has to have a right mindset towards money. The first thing is to evaluate oneself,
• Why do you do the things you do?
• Why are you interested in making money?
• What is your goal for making money?
• How much do you think will be enough for you?
• How far can you go to make money?
• Are there limits you can’t reach in pursuit of money?
• What is that thing you would do anything for?
Asking yourself questions and answering them honestly will give you an idea of what motivates you and your disposition toward money in general.
Sometimes our behaviours can be traced back to trauma and experiences that were left unchecked. Growing up in poverty or not having access to some experiences in life can lead to certain behavioural patterns that affect the way you view money. After evaluating yourself and honestly answering these questions, it is important to seek professional help.
It is important to develop valuable skills you can exchange for money. When you’ve established one source of income, go ahead to look for other ways you can make money. This way you are certain that you’re able to meet your needs without putting yourself or others in harm’s way. Also, there is a sense of responsibility that comes with handling the money you work for.
People make a lot of bad money decisions because they are not knowledgeable about money and the way it works. If money can affect a person’s life so much, it is only wise you learn about it. Read about people who have the kind of life you desire. What did they do and how can you incorporate those lessons into your life? Look at how much you earn and track your expenses.
To get over greed, you need to be in a place where you are not selfish and excessively desire money. For that to happen, you need to have a sense of security. Saving and investing helps you build that sense of financial security.
Being content with what you have irrespective of whatever standard you see around you will help you be a better person. Stop envying what your neighbour or friend has because you do not know how hard they worked to get that what they. Greed is like a cancer; which if entertained, consumes you.
Seek help when in need, visit a counsellor near you!
About the author
Aka Monde, is a licensed Professional Counsellor who holds a Master of Science in Counselling from the University of Zambia. She believes in the adage “a problem shared, is a problem half solved.” Speak to your pastor, church elder, elderly family member or see a professional counsellor when in need.
Email: [email protected]
