What My Favorite Movie Taught Me About Greed

As the weather gets colder in some parts of the world, there are certain movies that come to mind as we enter the month of September: Harry Potter, Dead Poets Society, Narnia, Little Women, and one of my all-time favorites, The Hobbit, a.k.a. the prequel to The Lord of the Rings saga.

I’ve watched all three Hobbit movies (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and The Battle of the Five Armies) hundreds, if not thousands, of times (this, of course, is an exaggeration). To the point where I can recall the dialogues right before the characters say them.

One of my favorite lines — which comes from one of the most tear-jerking scenes — is this:

“Farewell, Master Burglar.

Go back to your books, and your armchair.

Plant your trees. Watch them grow.

If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place.”

sobs

It’s been over 10 years since I watched the movie for the first time, and for the longest time, that dialogue stayed with me merely as a heartbreaking goodbye from one friend to another… until today. Today, I realized that the last line carries so much truth. That if more people truly valued home above gold, this world would certainly be a merrier place. 

Because what’s the greatest sickness in the human heart that underlies so many of the world’s problems, if not GREED?

Source: Pinterest

At least in Indonesia, one of the news stories that never fails to make people angry is corruption. From oil, to tin, and even the Hajj quota (yes, HAJJ). Not to mention the ridiculous allowances given to members of the nation’s House of Representatives — which recently became the trigger for rage bombs that had been simmering for way too long, finally pushing people to take to the streets and fight.

I mean, these people didn’t just take billions. They took trillions. Lying to us every single day. Taking what’s supposed to be ours. And they still had the audacity to defend their wrongdoings in front of us, the ones who’ve been trying to do things right, quietly enduring pain and hardship that could’ve been avoided.

Even without all this stealing, they already have homes comfortable enough to live in. So why are they still out there looking for more gold??? This. Is. Greed.

And this isn’t something that only started recently or in modern times. Even if we pull back the thread through all of history, greed has always been there.

Isn’t heaven the one place that has everything you could ever want and need? Then why did Adam and Eve still break that ONE thing God forbade? Wasn’t heaven (and everything in it) enough?

Okay, let’s not talk about something big or far. Let’s take a more personal approach: me. I have greed in me.

At the beginning of the year, I set this one goal. By mid-year, I had already accomplished it. If I had been grateful, I could’ve just ticked it off my resolution list and moved on. But I didn’t.

After I surpassed that goal, I raised the target. To the point where I achieved more than I initially wanted. Did I stop? No. Even worse. I developed this fear of losing the “bonus” that was supposed to be a gift from the universe, something I should’ve just been grateful for.

I already had what I wanted. What I needed.

My books.

My armchair.

My trees had grown.

Yet I felt like it wasn’t enough.

I started chasing a mountain filled with gold.

And even after I got to claim it, I became obsessive and possessive over it.

Didn’t want to stop until I found my Arkenstone.

Didn’t want to part with a single coin. Not one piece of it.

This is, again, greed.

Source: Pinterest

In some cases, greed can be a good thing. With greed, you’re not easily satisfied — which can drive you to continually improve yourself and the things around you. After all, many of the good things we enjoy today are the result of people in the past being dissatisfied with their living conditions.

However, as shown in some of the examples I mentioned earlier, it’s also greed that becomes the reason why people aren’t happy with their lives, and eventually, why they hurt others too.

So, what do you think?

Do you believe greed is the greatest sickness in the human heart? The one that underlies so many of the world’s problems?