Thrift, stinginess, greed - what is common and what is the difference between these concepts?
Today, reasonable frugality, as well as the ability to save, are again in fashion. But still, the stereotypes of past generations, like chains, bind people, pushing them towards a wasteful, uncreative life. In this article we will tell you what the difference is between stinginess, greed and frugality, and also analyze each of the concepts separately. You will learn that smart consumption is the path to happiness and new heights.
Definition in the dictionary
In the dictionary we see two interpretations of the word “self-interest”.
- The first of them - modern - is the thirst for profit.
- The second meaning of “self-interest” is outdated - profit, income, benefit.
That is, before the word did not have a negative connotation, it was neutral, reflecting only one side of the business relationship. Now it refers to characterizing the qualities of individual people and not at all from the good side.
The conflictologist's dictionary gives a more detailed understanding of what self-interest is. This is a person’s passion for acquisition, the constant desire to make money, greed for wealth, for money, greed for big profits.
Self-interest: emphasis, detailed characteristics, synonyms
Self-interest is the desire to obtain benefits for oneself personally, even if this may cause damage to any person or group of people or organization.
Because of this negative quality, a large number of conflicts arise - from family to political. When they say that a person is selfish, it means that he craves wealth, money, and at the same time puts his material interests higher than everything else.
Now let’s talk about the emphasis in the word “self-interest.” The fact is that very often it is pronounced incorrectly. The stress in “self-interest” is on the second syllable, not the first.
Synonyms for the words are: greed, avarice, commercialism, covetousness, love of money. They help to better understand what self-interest is. Therefore, let’s look at the concepts of greed and greed in more detail to understand how they are related to each other, to self-interest, and what is their difference.
Aggression
I would like to note that the quality being discussed has its own classification. And first of all, we need to talk about aggressive greed.
This quality can be considered akin to ambition, selfishness and vanity. It manifests itself in a chronic desire to achieve better results in everything. People who are characterized by aggression and a certain passion achieve impressive success. Everything is never enough for them; they want to have more than they already have. Such people never stop at anything. Or, one might even say, they don’t get enough.
This is not to say that a person’s aggressive greed is a bad quality. There is nothing wrong with improving your own situation. But sometimes this desire clouds the mind. And when a person ceases to control this quality, he becomes its hostage. Desires become higher than principles. And in order to achieve the goal, a person becomes capable of doing anything.
Greed
According to the dictionary of Ozhegov and Shvedov, the word “greedy” has two meanings:
- Selfish, greedy.
- Desiring something with great passion and expressing this desire.
Thus, we also observe two shades of this word. In the first case, it is judgmental. And in the second case, it is important what exactly a person wants. If he strives not for money, but for knowledge, then he deserves not censure, but praise.
So, for example, A.S. Griboyedov in “Woe from Wit” talks about a mind “hungry for knowledge”, about arousing the passion for creative and beautiful arts. However, today the words “greedy” and “greed” are used less and less often in speech. More often they say “greed” and “greedy”.
Why do people become greedy?
It’s not for nothing that proverbs about greed and stupidity go hand in hand. After all, these two traits are very similar to each other, and are often intertwined in one person. Often it is stupidity and low moral values that become the basis for the birth of the first spark of greed.
It’s just that such people don’t see anything beautiful around them. It was not explained to them that there are things much more important than money, clothes or food. Their inner world is very stingy and small, which is a big problem both for themselves and for those around them.
And if such a person is not helped, everything will only get worse. Greed will eat him up from the inside, and then there will be no turning back. After all, he simply does not want to listen to others, considering them wrong. It’s not for nothing that the sages said: “Greed deprives one of reason,” and this is one of the main truths that proverbs about greed and stupidity teach us.
What is the difference between greed and greed?
Ozhegov’s dictionary says that greed is:
- Selfishness, stinginess.
- Increased desire to satisfy certain desires.
- Persistence in satisfying desires.
As we can see, in explanatory dictionaries greed is defined as greed, and greed is characterized as stinginess. Therefore, it may seem that greed and stinginess are one and the same. However, there is a fundamental difference.
Greed is the desire to get as much as possible. Whereas stinginess is the desire to spend as little as possible. A greedy person cares more about increasing his income, while a stingy person cares more about cutting expenses. True, in the end the result is similar - wealth increases, although in different ways.
Thus, greed coincides with greed in the part in which they characterize self-interest. But they do not coincide in terms of stinginess.
Signs of a stingy person
There is no clear definition of stinginess. This quality can begin to develop in childhood and continue its further active development in adulthood.
At first, a child may be thrifty, avoiding spending his own resources and sharing them with others. Subsequently, he acquires a desire to accumulate, becomes self-interested, and looks at everything from the position of obtaining possible profit. Have you read what greed is?
One of the hallmarks of a stingy person is his deliberate deprivation of material goods: he can walk in rags, eat scraps, and store gold and jewelry in closets that he does not want to share with anyone. It is important that such a person does not use them himself. He can be called a miser, over whom material values have prevailed; they guide his entire life. Stingy people can be very wealthy, but often this is not noticeable. Their wealth does not benefit them or others.
Acquisitiveness
Stinginess is often associated with stupidity, because such people do not understand the full extent of their situation. The tactics they have chosen are a road to nowhere. They are rich in fact, but poor in soul. They often remain single for the rest of their lives because they have not realized that the principle “the more you give, the more you gain” is always relevant. These people are selfish people who think only about themselves. A stingy person rarely finds happiness, and his wealth often becomes a burden to him or eventually turns into decay.
More about greed
This is a personal trait that simultaneously contains both the desire to receive more new benefits and the reluctance to share accumulated wealth. In a figurative sense, greed can mean passion, an unbearable desire, for example, as in the expressions “greed for life”, “greedily absorb.”
However, greed is not only a character trait, but also a feeling. That is, an emotional component that is objective in nature. As a rule, all people experience a similar feeling, some less often, some more often. But not everyone can admit this.
Like other emotions, the feeling of greed is difficult to describe, but it is important to note that it is often accompanied by emotional distress. It is also accompanied by a number of vegetative manifestations, such as strong heartbeat, increased breathing, muscle tension, and increased blood pressure. When such a feeling is repeated frequently, a person's health may suffer.
How to become generous?
What can be called generosity? This is when you can spend something without sparing your strength, time, without regretting it in the future, never remembering it to this person and trying not to remember it even within yourself. A selfless person gives preference to being well-fed when he himself is hungry.
First of all, you need to remember all the names of the Almighty and realize how Generous and Rich, Caring and Merciful he is; look at nature, how generously He has given us with it, take an example from Him and completely rely on Him. “... Allah grants sustenance, without counting, to whomever He wishes” (the meaning of verse 212 of Surah Al-Baqarah); “There is not a single living creature on earth that the Lord has not provided with food...” (the meaning of verse 6 of Surah Hud).
Do not forget that the owner of everything on Earth is the Almighty, not people. Therefore, when sharing something with others, we are not giving our property, but the property of the Almighty, which He gave us for temporary use. One of the hadiths says: “Truly, you are given support and food due to the fact that among you there are weak people (without relatives, material wealth or health) people” (Imam Ahmad).
Next, you need to know that you first need to take care of your position, so as not to find yourself begging from others. Then worry about relatives, and only then about friends and acquaintances. “The servants of the Merciful are those who do not waste (so as not to be asked) and do not skimp, but spend moderately” (the meaning of verse 67 of Surah Al-Furqan). One of the hadiths says: “Truly, the keys to worldly possessions are located next to the Arsh, and the Almighty sends them to His servants as they spend. To the extent that you are generous to your family, Allah ﷻ sends you the keys to worldly inheritance .
It is also important to remember that wealth is material and there is spiritual. Sometimes it is much more important to share intangible things: a smile, a hug, kindness, attention, forgiveness, honesty in relationships with others, praise at the right time, words of comfort and guidance when needed, help in starting a family, help in finding a job, learning something. , and simply the willingness to spend time with another person are all types of generosity that do not require material wealth. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever has property, let him give alms (saadaka) from his property. If he is not there, let him give knowledge. If there is no knowledge and property, but there is strength (physical capabilities), let him help by force . Abdullah ibn Mubarak said: “The generosity of the soul, expressed in giving up other people’s property, is more valuable than the generosity expressed in donating one’s own property.”
Sufism will help cleanse the heart of vices. How much he ennobles the hearts of people can be seen in one illustrative story.
They say that a certain king said to his vizier: “Scholars are better in condition and hearts than Sufis.” But the vizier objected and then added: “We will test them in two cases.” He sent one man with several thousand dirhams to the madrasah and ordered to tell the scientists: “The king ordered me to give these dirhams to the most worthy and perfect of you. So who is he? One of them said: “It’s me!”, and the other objected: “He deceived, I’m the most worthy!” So each of them began to dispute that he was the best. Then the messenger said: “I cannot determine the most worthy of you,” and did not give this money to anyone. He returned and told about what happened. Then the vizier sent these funds to the abode of the Sufis, who did exactly the opposite of what the scientists did. Each of them said: “He is better than me! He is more worthy than me! The vizier gave the sword to the messenger and told him: “Go to the abode of the Sufis and tell them: “The king ordered me to cut off the head of your leader. Who is this? One of them said, “I’m in charge,” and the other said, “No, I am.” Everyone responded the same way, giving preference to the lives of others and sacrificing themselves to preserve the life of their comrade. The messenger, unable to determine which of them was the leader, returned back and told about what had happened. Then he was sent with a sword to the scientists, who did the opposite of what the Sufis did. This argument of the vizier turned out to be more powerful than the king’s argument.
The origins of greed, self-interest, greed
To better understand what self-interest, greed and avarice are, let's consider how they appeared. The origins of all these traits go back to ancient times, when primitive people constantly felt a lack of food and other resources necessary for life. Therefore, there is an opinion that, to a certain extent, elements of greed can be present in a person at the genetic level.
Over the centuries, with the advent of money, the nature of greed has changed somewhat. She concentrated on money, for which you can get whatever your heart desires. And greed is already becoming closer to self-interest and greed - in terms of the thirst for profit.
Why are men greedy?
The foundation of behavior is laid in childhood. A man copies his father, grandfather, older brother, uncle, fully or partially adopting their negative and positive qualities. Also, a little boy remembers his father’s attitude towards his mother, and in the future he will use the same model of behavior. If the father deprived the mother of something, then the future man will do the same, since such behavior for him is the norm, instilled in childhood.
Stinginess and greed, which manifest themselves in older age, are caused by the following reasons:
- Lack of money in the family. A man who has been accustomed since childhood to saving on everything, constantly listening to reproaches from his parents about his wastefulness, is predisposed to stinginess. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that a little boy will subsequently grow into a greedy man. Psychology notes that a person, having become successful and achieved certain material benefits, can be generous, but at the same time economical.
- Material well-being in the family. Boys, spoiled from childhood by rich parents and knowing that the “best piece” will certainly be given to them, are also predisposed to stinginess. In relationships with the opposite sex, such greedy men will be selfish. They will not spend money on their beloved, and they will not save on their own hobbies and desires.
- Greed of father and mother. Stingy parents instill greed in the future man from childhood. Here, stinginess will manifest itself sooner or later, even if the young man was not previously greedy.
What did Pushkin and Gogol think about this?
All of these human characteristics are very aptly described by A.S. Pushkin in “The Miserly Knight”. The protagonist's ultimate pleasure lies in his "lucky day" when he can put a handful of gold coins into the "sixth chest, not yet full." But his desires are not satisfied with this, he is not satiated with them. As long as he lives in the world, the stingy knight cannot get rid of the desire to accumulate more and more gold, filling his chests with it.
N.V. Gogol in “Dead Souls” brought out such vivid characters as the utter miser Plyushkin and the greedy money-lover Chichikov. The writers demonstrated how the desire to live richly from a normal human desire can turn into a very obsessive, overvalued idea, become a kind of mania that replaces human reason with blind passion.
Stinginess is reprehensible [↑]
Stinginess - daikanut
- is a quality worthy of reproach in most of its manifestations. King Shlomo said about stinginess: “Do not eat the bread of an ill-wisher and do not covet his dishes, [...] “Eat and drink!” - he will tell you, but his heart is not with you" (
Mishley 23; 6-7
).
These are the characteristics of a miser: he hoards money and does not give alms, and does not spare the poor. And when he conducts his business with another, he counts every penny and will not give up anything. He does not feed or clothe, and will not give anyone any benefit from himself. And he does not trust in the One who gives him money, and he is hated by everyone. He does not try to fulfill the commandments and does not acquire a mentor and friend for himself, and therefore remains empty in the sense of the Teaching and Commandments.
If he is stingy in body, this is very bad: he does not show kindness - chesed - to people. But the worst thing is if he is stingy with his wisdom or his books, because he loses nothing by doing so. For wisdom is like fire, which loses nothing if a candle or other fire is lit from it. And it is said about him: “Whoever withholds bread the people curse” ( Mishlei 11:26
). And about the generous it is said: “But a blessing is on the forehead of the breadwinner” (ibid.). The simple meaning of this verse is about bread and alms, and the moral (
mashal
) is inferred about wisdom.
