Page 118 - The Debased Culture of Superficiality

116 THE DEBASED CULTURE OF SUPERFICIALITY

death, all of it will be left behind.
The desire to seize the least opportunity to get the upper
hand is also a part of this debased morality. Amazingly, peo-
ple with this greedy way of thinking regard small things as
gains. For example, a shallow person is made happy when
he gets a better seat in the theater or attends a company din-
ner without paying. Similarly, little things he has cheated
others out of give him unexpected excitement. People who
try to get to the table first to take advantage of a buffet or try
to take the plate with the most food on it share the same
superficiality. Most of them are greedy for a plateful of food
even though they do not actually need it.
Greed has nothing to do with whether a person’s materi-
al means are great or small; everything to do with the fact
that they have a shallow spirit divorced from religious
morality. Just as many honorable people of limited resources
do not reveal their needs to anyone, so many wealthy peo-
ple are tight-fisted and greedy for the smallest things. For
example, a famous rich person goes to a small town for some
reason. Whatever modest store he enters, he does not leave
without receiving a gift, even if a small one. The shopkeep-
er who gave the gift was probably not very well-off. If this
individual wandering through the town does not pay for a
meal in a small restaurant, he regards it as a gain. He is actu-
ally greedy for the possessions of needy people.
From this example, we can see that superficial people
may be greedy for receiving gifts from friends and acquain-
tances. Such a person always reminds them of New Year’s,
birthdays, and anniversaries. In order to receive gifts, he