My "cloistered brothers" and I were talking about greed. How do you tell whether or not you have an inordinate desire to have money or material things? We were thinking a sure way to tell would be whether you cared too much. We were thinking of someone who collects antiques, cars, diamonds, etc. It could be anything.
If a tornado came and destroyed those things that were dear to you, and that devastated you, does that mean you were greedy? Some objected. Some felt that most people would be devastated--the average person would naturally be traumatized. So that example was discarded.
Next was proposed the idea that people who have money and use it to build a library. Now that's a good thing, right? What if they put their name on it, i.e., The John Smith Library? Does that prove that you have avarice? Some felt that was a good example because if the donor wanted to give a library, he would have given it anonymously.
The group couldn't agree on a definition. We came to the conclusion that greed was an interior disposition. A poor person could be greedy, just as well as a rich person. It's a matter of conscience and only God knows your heart.
