The Flat Earth Society

Other Discussion Boards => Philosophy, Religion & Society => Topic started by: Fortuna on February 05, 2016, 09:40:04 AM

Title: Greed
Post by: Fortuna on February 05, 2016, 09:40:04 AM
Lately I've been considering selling off a large portion of the unnecessary items I own. I've realized they were purchased out of greed and they contribute nothing to my life. In fact, they create more worry. What if they get lost or stolen?

For example, I own a collection of amiibos. I don't actually use them. They just sit on the shelf as decorative ornaments. I have an e-reader and a smartphone. The e-reader is completely unnecessary. I can just read on my phone. I have a messenger bag and a backpack. The messenger bag goes unused most of the time. And the list goes on.

The only things I don't feel guilty about collecting in excess are physical books, of which I have many.

Do you ever feel that twinge of greed when you buy something you know you don't need? It's become a bit of an obsession for me lately when I sort through my stuff.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Lord Dave on February 05, 2016, 10:15:58 AM
No.
I may regret buying things because they are't as useful as I thouht or as entertaining, but I'm the type of person who will talk himself out of buying new shoes because the hole in my current shoe isn't that big yet.

Title: Re: Greed
Post by: beardo on February 05, 2016, 12:31:43 PM
No. I only use the term greed when talking about a selfish desire to acquire excessive ammounts of money one don't actually need. And I've never had that. I hate money.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Lonesome Crow on February 05, 2016, 12:45:27 PM
Not really. I don't consider myself to be a greedy person. I'm not a fan of money and try to avoid acquiring new things I don't really need.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Rushy on February 05, 2016, 04:15:46 PM
I'm a greedy bastard tbvqh my family once played Monopoly and was calling me a Jewish lawyer by the time we were done. Swiggity swooty I'm comin' for dat mooney
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: beardo on February 05, 2016, 05:29:03 PM
Rushy is corrupt.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: juner on February 05, 2016, 05:49:02 PM
I tend to suffer from buyer's remorse regardless of how much I may need, or even not need something. I end up feeling guilty and it takes a while to get over it. I will gladly go on vacation and blow a ton of money and not think twice about it (or out for drinks, etc.), but when it comes to possessions I really struggle with buying things for myself. I have no such feelings toward buying things for others, but buying my own stuff really causes me anxiety. No idea why that is. That results in me not having a lot of stuff, otherwise I probably would feel greedy.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Fortuna on February 05, 2016, 06:00:59 PM
I tend to suffer from buyer's remorse regardless of how much I may need, or even not need something. I end up feeling guilty and it takes a while to get over it. I will gladly go on vacation and blow a ton of money and not think twice about it (or out for drinks, etc.), but when it comes to possessions I really struggle with buying things for myself. I have no such feelings toward buying things for others, but buying my own stuff really causes me anxiety. No idea why that is. That results in me not having a lot of stuff, otherwise I probably would feel greedy.

That's basically how I feel. Whenever I buy something that's about $100 or more, everyone always makes fun of me because I'll return it after a week after the newness has worn off. But yeah, buying stuff for other people or spending money on food has never been much of an issue.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Ghost Spaghetti on February 06, 2016, 05:09:06 PM
I don't tend to buy things I don't need very often, and then I tend to try to find something at a reasonable rate, rather than buying the most expensive whatever. For instance, I bought a netbook because I needed something I could write with on the go. I bought it second-hand off eBay. It's very slow at loading anything beyond basic word processors and the internet, but it does what I need it to do.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Jura-Glenlivet on February 13, 2016, 10:10:09 PM

 Well I have a solution, You buy all the stuff you want and if it starts getting you down, send it (cameras and telescopes especially) to me, no don't thank me, I'm just made that way.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Shane on February 14, 2016, 02:53:46 AM
I don't see how working to get things you like is greedy
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: Roundy on February 14, 2016, 06:20:00 AM
I don't see how working to get things you like is greedy

You're just not a good person obviously.
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: beardo on February 14, 2016, 02:56:24 PM
Why not?
Title: Re: Greed
Post by: model 29 on February 14, 2016, 04:58:17 PM
No.  I buy things I need or want depending on the price.  I earned the money to buy them, so I don't feel greedy when I do buy them (however, if I bought all of the remaining stock of a certain item and left nothing for the next person, yes I feel like a greedy bastard).  I am stingy however, and hate spending that money, but eventually I'll cave and buy whatever it is I need or want.

At the moment I need (or maybe want, depends how I break it down) a newer car.  I have the money, but I'm too cheap to get one.  Hell, I've spent over two months now just trying to find tires I like for my truck, and those I need badly.