When Greed Grows Up

It seems in the United States recently, we have seen a rash of examples of what happens when the quest for "more", and the growing, almost gnawing need to have it all, regardless of who it just might belong to, paints a picture of how crime takes greed by the hand until it is all grown-up and on its own two feet.
If you take Mr. Madoff and the irreplaceable trust and life hope that so many people had, you have to realize that it may have started small, then the greed grew until it encompassed what everyone else had and then some. From Mr. Madoff himself, to his wife, and their family, there is no doubt in the mind of the country that they knew and were part of the grab for all that was out there, regardless of the hearts and futures that were trashed and discarded. People lost the homes that they retired in, the money that was suppose to last them until they passed on, and a legacy to their family that would include a sense of beauty and peace as they aged. This was turned over into an ugly, almost unbelievable attempt to take from everyone so that "all" belonged only to the Madoff family. When Mrs. Madaff requested that she remain owner of the homes, as well as the bank account, would she have allowed the "victims" the same courtesy? Could they have kept the property they waited their entire lives for, or the funds that were suppose to insure that they could have a "golden" retirement as has always been the end to the perfect American dream. They did not have a choice, cannot be given back what was taken, and their lives have been altered, never to be what they were, let alone what they should have been because of a life spent working and hoping that there was always greener grass as you advanced in years. Mrs. Madoff fears losing this scenario, as do her sons. Sympathy is not forthcoming because the pain of so many was caused by the overwhelming greed of a handful.
AIG, and the other Wall Street mega corporations have done much the same. They wanted to make sure that they not only led the industry in profits, but that if it all came tumbling down, they could still stand up and watch the sun rise. These company CEO's and their counterparts, who are suppose to be intelligent in their fields of choice, knew that the "bubble" that they perpetrated would eventually burst; however, the flak would come to those who only wanted a taste of the dreams their parents told them about as they grew up, or the vision and lessons about keeping your nose to the grindstone so that you are rewarded in the end. The wrong side got rewarded, and those who struggled will have to continue their struggle. Even those who had no part in the mortgage gamble, or the banking bad-decisions, or they never toyed with other people's money, are faced with factory doors chained and locked, food that should be a guarantee of life has become a challenge to pay for, and leading your children to the land of hope and bright futures, will just have to wait.
The white collar crime of "greed" exceeds anyone's vision of what could happen when a handful of individuals make the concerted effort that all is their's and the rest of the nation will just have to adjust and live a lifestyle they only saw in still pictures of the Great Depression. Mrs. Madoff fears losing her jet-setting daily life, the fact that she not only had one home but several, and the choicest of the choice were hers. It was not enough and the pain will undoubtedly be more stinging and unrelenting because sooner or later the faces of the true "victims" are out there as you walk down the street, or sit in the park. The faces of children cold because their jackets are not adequate, the faces of the parents who come out of motel rooms that are made for two people but now house a family, and worse, the faces of an invisible nation that will find trust hard to come by, and belief in a fair system of capitalism as only a pipe hope. They are all out there and there is no street, state, or section of the U.S. that has risen above the tragedy of crime growing up.
It didn't have to happen, but it did. It might have been prevented, but it wasn't. It should teach everyone a lesson, but the pain stands in the way. However you slice the current economy, the loss of billions through the Madoff scam, being mugged in the park seems like just a walk in that same park. What used to be construed as horrendous in behavior has become "typical" on the evening news. Greed is everywhere you look, and whether you try to step around it, or cross the street to avoid it, it is no longer a child's game. It has reached its power, and it needs to be restrained. There will always be victims and there will always be schemers. The balance is in how a nation takes hold of a very bad situation, and when every single individual realizes that no one is above another, nor are they below each other either. They need to walk side by side, and greed will have to wither and die for there is no place for it to hide. We have seen it's face andtherefore it is hunted and will never find peace.
The nation's perception that there are those "who have" and there are those "who have not" must change. While bank account balances will never be equal, respect for the individual and relinquishing the need to suppress so that a person can rise to new heights, must be eradicated. No person can have it all and no person should have nothing. If Mr. Madoff could have lived in a homeless shelter for one day, would he take homes away from those he did? If Mrs. Madoff found herself with no funds for the evening meal, would she remove the prized entree from the tables of all the investors, and claim it as hers? The examples could go on without end, but the sad reality is that when the crime of greed takes over a person, they are truly unrelenting in acquiring what they could never have on their own merits. They take from everyone because they cannot leave anything for anyone else. The drive must be so rigid that if all is not in their grasp, then no one can have it either. Sad when you ponder how some live this type of life, when power, money, and greed have the freedom to grow up.
Something to think about
©Arleen M. Kaptur March, 2009