2009 – 4th Grade 3d Place Winner.

Frances Marin, Minnesota.

Greed or Giving? Which has the greater impact on Society?

Greed, whether in a negative or positive manner, has a much larger impact on society than giving. Greed impacts society in both negative and positive ways though mostly in negative ways. With greed, competition boils in the minds of fellow companies, new products often negatively affect technology and the planet, and greed causes people to go down paths that makes them think they took a wrong turn. These are only a few of the negative impacts that greed can place on society.
Greed really can make competition boil to a breaking point, especially between companies. First of all, companies must compete with each other to sell their products. These companies make long, fancy commercials to promote their products. These commercials take forever when people are just waiting for the show to come on. Secondly, these companies have huge sales where people unwisely spend their money, just because of the “unbelievable” deals. The sales promote the idea that “you must get the latest and the best product available”, when in reality, most people have plenty of what they ‘need’ in their lives. A huge 40 inch plasma TV is not a necessity, but companies make us believe that it is.
Greed, in the form of competition, can also cause people to expand their companies. All in all, many stores we visit every day wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for greed. We really don’t need a Target every two miles, although the companies make us believe that we do.
Greed largely affects what people think, and more importantly, affects their actions. People get defensive and short-tempered because they spend more time and energy trying to buy more and more products, rather than spending that time and energy on their family and friends.
Greed also largely affects the progress of technology and the structure of our planet. New technology can create a place where the 40 inch plasma screen or the shiny logo alone can prompt someone to buy something that they don’t need. Sometimes though, new products that require a lot of electricity can actually pollute our planet. Unfortunately, these are often the products that re the most advertised and promoted. The products that actually could help our planet, the ‘green products;, are often overlooked.
Sometimes people waste so much effort attempting to obtain things that they don’t necessarily want or need, that they forget that other people are in need. When the others are forgotten, their situation worsens while the greedy rise in fortune. When you look at the big picture, you realize that greed really only benefits the one who is greedy. Greed clearly has the larger impact on society.

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