I was watching "White Men Can't Jump" the other day—a film centered around hustling and the struggle to make ends meet. The characters Billy and Sidney bounce from one basketball con to another, desperately chasing dollars to pay debts and build dreams. Gloria, Billy's girlfriend, often seems more fixated on the money they need than on Billy himself.

During the movie, I kept asking myself: Why do we hustle so hard for money? Why do we ever only care about "the green," the bills, and everything money can do for us? One scene particularly struck me: when Billy finally wins enough to pay their rent and buy Gloria her dream, appearing on Jeopardy, but loses it all gambling instead of coming home. The devastation on Gloria's face wasn't just about the money, but what it represented: security, dreams, trust.

It made me wonder: How did economics evolve from a system that helped us thrive into one that has many of us killing ourselves over paper? Why do people live for money? And when does ambition turn into greed?

These aren't just philosophical questions—they cut to the very heart of how we live, work, and define success today. Let's get to the core of the issue.

We're Taught That Money = Security

From childhood, we learn to associate money with survival:

Get a job or you'll starve.
Save up or you'll be defenseless.
Buy a house to be "safe."

Research from behavioral economics shows that our relationship with money is deeply emotional. A 2018 Journal of Experimental Social Psychology study found that merely thinking about financial difficulties impaired cognitive function—equivalent to losing 13 IQ points. Our brains process financial insecurity as a legitimate threat to survival.

Humans seek money not primarily out of greed but out of fear—fear of not having enough, fear of being unable to cope, fear of being seen as a failure.

Money becomes the armor people build to feel safe in a chaotic world.

Culture Relentlessly Advances the Myth That:

"More is better." "Bigger is success." "If you're not grinding, you're not winning."

This perspective isn't universal. Anthropological research reveals striking contrasts in how different societies view wealth:

The Hadza of Tanzania, one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes, share all food resources equally regardless of who obtained them.
Bhutan measures success through "Gross National Happiness" rather than GDP.
Indigenous cultures across the Americas traditionally viewed wealth as something to be redistributed, not accumulated.

Yet in contemporary Western society, we start measuring our worth by:

Salary figures
Property ownership
Luxury items

And without realizing it, ambition becomes addiction.

It's Easy to Mistake Money for Meaning

Money feels like purpose at first. The paycheck, the new car, the bigger office—each achievement gives a rush of validation. Neuroscientists have found that acquiring money activates the same dopamine pathways as addictive substances.

But the feeling never lasts. Once it fades, the hunger for "more" kicks in.

That's where ambition quietly becomes greed. You know that part in movies where the lead overshadows the supporting character, problems arise, and they go their separate ways? That's this part of the story.

Greed is the ghost of unrealized intention, haunting the soul with "almost."

Greed Fills a Spiritual Void

When humans don't know who they are, why they're alive, or what really matters, they reach for what's easiest to quantify: money.

You can't simply assign a number to inner peace or purpose. You can assign a number to a bank account.

So humans chase numbers instead of nourishing their souls. Money is tangible. Purpose is not.

Psychologist Tim Kasser's research spanning over two decades found that people who prioritize materialistic values consistently report lower well-being, more distress, and poorer relationships than those who value internal growth and community.

Biblical Wisdom: You Can't Serve Two Masters

Ancient wisdom recognized this conflict. Jesus addressed it directly:

"You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:24)

Money demands loyalty, time, and ultimately, your heart. Once you let it control you, greed becomes your mission, whether you acknowledge it or not.

This insight isn't exclusive to Christianity. Buddhist teachings warn that craving leads to suffering. Taoist philosophy emphasizes contentment with enough rather than the pursuit of excess. Indigenous wisdom traditions worldwide recognize that greed disrupts the harmonious flow of life.

How Economics Evolved and Enabled Greed

Economics originally emerged to help humans be smart about resources. Over centuries, though, it transformed into something else: a system encouraging constant consumption in a world of limited resources.

1. From Meeting Needs → to Manufacturing Wants

Ancient economics = survival: shelter, clothing, food.

Modern economics = manipulation: convincing people they need what they never knew they wanted.

Economic historian Robert Heilbroner documented this shift in his classic work "The Worldly Philosophers." The transition from subsistence economies to consumer capitalism required creating perpetual discontent—what economist John Kenneth Galbraith called "the manufacture of wants."

Marketing combined with capitalism convinced us:

You're not enough without this new car.
You're behind if you don't have this new phone.
Your life is incomplete without this next purchase.

It creates a cycle of never-ending artificial needs once you start chasing them.

2. Scarcity Was Weaponized as a Control Mechanism

Real scarcity: Food, water, shelter in genuinely limited supply.

Artificial scarcity: Limited-edition shoes, designer handbags, "only 5 left in stock!"

Economics learned to leverage scarcity to create urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out). Even when people had enough, they'd hoard more—just in case. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely's research demonstrates how artificially created scarcity drives irrational purchasing decisions.

3. It Made Greed Normal, Even Admirable

At some point, wealth accumulation stopped being considered a vice and started being celebrated as a virtue.

Billionaires are idolized.
Hyper-competition is encouraged.
Compassion is misinterpreted as weakness.

The shift began in earnest during the 1980s when economist Milton Friedman argued that a corporation's sole responsibility was to increase profits. Gordon Gekko's fictional proclamation that "greed is good" in the 1987 film Wall Street reflected a real cultural shift.

Greed wasn't just tolerated; it became the engine of "growth."

And if you weren't greedy? You'd be left behind.

4. It Separated People From Nature and Spirit

Ancient societies lived close to the earth. They celebrated natural rhythms: seasons, harvests, and community.

Modern economics preached a new doctrine:

Productivity > Rest
Profit > People
Expansion > Ecosystem health

Environmental historian Carolyn Merchant traces this shift in her work "The Death of Nature," showing how the scientific revolution combined with capitalism to reframe nature as a resource to be exploited rather than a living system to be respected.

So we began devastating the very earth that sustained us, believing that unlimited growth was possible on a finite planet.

5. It Fragmented the Soul

When money becomes the measure of success, your soul starts to believe:

"I am only valuable if I earn more." "I must always want more to be relevant." "Enough is never enough."

Greed is spiritual disintegration disguised as economic success.

Economics not only dictated what we needed—it created wants we never needed, then encouraged us to destroy everything to get them. The worst tragedy? It stole the joy of "enough" from our hearts.

How to Stay Ambitious Without Falling into Greed

So, how do you maintain motivation and healthy ambition without letting greed consume your soul?

1. Investigate Your "Why"

Ask yourself regularly: "Why do I want this?"

Rooted in purpose and impact? Proceed.
Rooted in ego, fear, or status? Pause and reconsider.

Psychologist Martin Seligman's research on "meaningful life" suggests that connecting your goals to something larger than yourself leads to more sustainable fulfillment than pursuing achievement for its own sake.

2. Stay Accountable

Surround yourself with people who will lovingly challenge your motivations. Research on accountability shows that we make better ethical decisions when we know others are watching and care about our choices.

Create a "financial values" statement and share it with trusted friends who can reflect back to you when your actions drift from your stated values.

3. Pursue Purpose Before Position

Aim for impact, not image. Studies of job satisfaction consistently show that meaning and contribution predict happiness better than compensation or title.

Ask: "What problem am I solving?" rather than "What status will I gain?"

4. Practice Generosity Along the Way

Don't wait to "have enough" to give. Start now.

Research from Harvard Business School shows that spending money on others promotes happiness more effectively than spending on oneself. Even more surprisingly, this effect holds true regardless of income level, meaning generosity benefits both the wealthy and those with modest means.

Regular giving serves as a vaccine against greed. Start with small acts—buying coffee for the person behind you, supporting a friend's fundraiser, or contributing to a community cause.

5. Embrace Rhythm and Rest

Make space for reflection. Many wisdom traditions include the concept of Sabbath, regular pauses from productivity and acquisition.

Digital detoxes, time in nature, meditation, and deliberate periods without spending all help recalibrate your relationship with having and wanting.

These practices create space to remember who you are beyond what you own or earn.

The Balance: Thriving Without Greed

The characters in "White Men Can't Jump" weren't villains for wanting financial stability. Billy wasn't wrong for trying to hustle up rent money. Gloria wasn't shallow for wanting her dreams fulfilled.

The problem emerged when money became the only language they spoke to each other, when getting more overshadowed by being more.

Humans don't live for money because they're evil. They live for money because they're scared—and often, justifiably so in systems designed to keep them financially insecure.

Yet greed is what happens when fear wears ambition as a disguise and forgets its origin.

Your worth isn't determined by what you accumulate. You are already valuable, before trophies, titles, or paychecks.

Ambition guided by wisdom builds legacies. Greed, driven by ego, builds ruins that will eventually crumble.

The choice between living well and living wealthy isn't always binary—but when it is, the decision is yours.

What will you choose to pursue today: more green, or more growth?

The Psychology of Greed: Why We Chase Money and Lose Ourselves