Greed : Is it really that immoral?

Since centuries, human beings have characterized greed as an immoral virtue but is being greedy really that individualistic or are there long term positive social changes that occur?

Imagine living in a society which celebrates greed. Crimes, oppression, lack of trust towards one another, injustice and other related thoughts prop up. Billionaires would stop being philanthropic, large scale social movements would stop gaining traction, the underprivileged would suffer more in an already unjust world, hustle castle would gain prominence, the legal structure would break down and our seeming moral compass and checking mechanism would all go away.

However, morality being a relatively subjective topic, there are deeper layers to understand and the world does not exist in a binary. The harsh reality of innate capitalism is limited resources, hierarchy, consumerism, monopolization and denied access. If we view greed as a greater societal concept, not being greedy can act as a stumbling block to evolution. It is in fact because of our greed to make lives more luxurious, the thirst for progress, that the greatest discoveries took place.

In a world where altruism takes time to materialize and monopoly by the privileged is the dominating force, greed acts as a mechanism for positive change to break the existing barriers. Had the underprivileged and the oppressed classes given to the narrative not been greedy enough to dream a better life for them, the society would always keep them in the lowest ranks. Had people not been greedy enough to envision the best for themselves, there would be no motivation and the nerve wrecking life changing stories that we hear today would never exist. Without greed, the incentive to move up the ranks and the ability to break all the shackles would not exist.

Moreover, the concept of morality has become flawed when viewed in terms of the changing circumstances and greed has become a convenient narrative for the privileged to keep themselves in the position of power.

So ask yourself, would you prefer being a greedy person today?