Greed

February 26th, 2009 Tim Posted in SevenLakes Info |

“Greed is good, greed works.” (Michael Douglas in Wall Street movie, 1987)

“Is it true, would you do what I want you to, if I show up with the right amount of bling? You’re just a puppet on a monetary string.” (Switchfoot, American Dream song)

I’m a school nurse at a public elementary school. When students are having behavior problems, one method used is a chart with rewards for good behaviors. According to an assistant principal from another school, a problem with that is other “good” students find out and are motivated to do whatever infraction is necessary to get a “chart” to earn stickers or Gameboy time.  The deeper problem is that the motivation to “do right” is greed. However, in a public elementary school, we can’t exactly preach the gospel and teach repentance and faith in Jesus.

I fall in the trap myself. I find myself saying things like “bring the clothes (or “completed form” or “signed note”) back tomorrow and I’ll give you a Husky buck” (money for the school store). I hear that students in some high schools are even “paid” (with things like Ipod raffle tickets) for attendance on TAKS test days.

We end up scrambling to find out what the “right amount of bling” is to make them do what we want. The problem is, that keeps escalating.  And it’s not just “them”.  Ever get fliers from Best Buy? ”You deserve a break today.” Ever wonder why our nation is so fat and debt-ridden and yet still unsatisfied and depressed?

My home team is watching a DVD series called “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” which seeks to bring Biblical sanity to parenting instead of manipulation by greed.  And I have to admit, the application of the gospel to daily life is embarrasingly foreign to me. 

But still, “I want out of this machine, it doesn’t feel like freedom, this ain’t my American dream, I wanna live and die for bigger things, I’m tired of fighting for just me, this ain’t my American dream.” (Switchfoot, American Dream)

(post by Nancy)