2024-03-24 14:37:00
[돈의 심리] The fundamental goal is to be respected rather than ignored rather than money itself.
One of the topics that are taboo among people is money. “I like money,” “Making money is the most important thing,” “I will choose money over other things,” are not easy to say. Humans must pursue other, more important values than money. Money is a bit shallow and worldly compared to other values. Therefore, religious people who pursue spiritual values are greedy for money and view the pursuit of money negatively.
Is it really a bad thing to be greedy for money? First of all, what about being greedy for something? Buddhism and other religions emphasize giving up greed, but isn’t it wrong to pursue something with greed?
In my experience, I worked in academia. Among scholars, there are people who simply follow the path of academics without any interest in status, power, etc., and on the contrary, there are people who are interested in status, power, money, etc. and strive for such things. At first, I thought that scholars who were interested in status, power, money, etc. were not true scholars. I thought it would be more desirable to be someone who was not interested in such things at all and just lived as a scholar.
You have to be greedy to progress
As I gained more experience in academia, I learned that this was not necessarily the case. People who were interested in status, power, money, etc. worked harder. They had more research results and were more active in academic circles. It would seem that scholars who are not interested in such things would produce more and better research results because they could devote time to research without doing anything else, but this was rarely the case. A scholar without greed has no desire for research. He works hard until he becomes a professor, but after that he just becomes a professor who simply lectures. There has never been a case where a scholar became a scholar by simply doing research without being interested in status or interacting with professors around him. On the other hand, a scholar with greed worked hard even after becoming a full professor. The people who really brought about change were the greedy professors.
On the outside, people who live contentedly without greed seem to be much better people. People who are greedy and move to satisfy their desires seem to be of low standard. But that is not necessarily the case. People who are complacent and satisfied with themselves have no interest in others and tend to act arbitrarily towards others. Rather, it is kinder because people who are greedy for status need to be seen by others to achieve status.
In academia, there are academic societies for each field. However, positions such as president and vice president of the society are all unpaid. Although they are unpaid, the academic society is maintained by scholars who strive for the honor of being the academic president. If everyone in the society is not greedy for status, the society cannot be maintained. Things are accomplished by people who are greedy and pursue their desires. Therefore, desire is an essential element for the maintenance and development of society.
Scholars and officials during the Joseon Dynasty were truly content and without greed. In 1748, Hwang Gyeong-won said this. “Now, with the hemp, ramie, cotton, and silk in the country, we can wear enough clothes, we can eat enough with millet, rice, barley, and beans, we have enough iron to make utensils, and we can manage the economy with the benefits of silver. , Is there a need to bring material from a country a thousand miles away to use it for?” This means that there is no problem in living in Joseon, so there is no need to be greedy for materials from other countries. This is an example of people who are not interested in money or material things and live a noble life. However, such an uneasy, greedless life ultimately led to Joseon’s ruin. If Joseon had been greedy for the materials and wealth of Western empires at the time, it would not have collapsed so vainly. Desire and greed are not necessarily bad things.
The problem is greed for money
The problem is not being greedy itself, but being greedy for money. Shouldn’t people be greedy for something more valuable than money? The problem is being greedy for material and shallow things like money. However, Adam Smith, who is called the father of economics, left this article. “What humans want most is to be respected and treated preferentially by others, and what they hate most is to be ignored and despised. “Humans seek to gain wealth and power because they respect people who have wealth and power, not wisdom and virtue, and look down on the poor and powerless.” In other words, humans do not want wealth or money itself. He wants people around him to respect him, and the means to achieve that are wealth and money.
Plato’s work ‘Lysis’ is a dialogue between Socrates and Lysis. Here Socrates says the following: “We do say that gold and silver, that is, money, are important. But that is not the case. There is something else we consider most important. “Money is a secondary need to save other things.” In other words, when people say they want money, they don’t really want the money itself. Money alone can’t do anything. What people can get with that money is what people really want. Money is just a means to get what you want.
So what do people want to achieve through money? In psychology and management, the most famous theory that understands people’s behavioral motivations is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory (see figure). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory consists of the following five stages:
① Physiological needs It is related to eating, clothing, and sleeping right now, and is the desire to meet the basic needs of human life.
② Safety needs It is a desire to eat, wear, and sleep that will continue to be maintained for a long period of time. I want to ensure that I can continue to make a living.
③ Social needs Humans are social animals. Wants to get along with other people.
④ Desire for respect The desire to be respected by others, to receive recognition or attention from others.
⑤ Desire for self-actualization I want self-fulfillment. I hope that you will achieve what you want by following your own path, regardless of the opinions and evaluations of those around you.
Which of these desires is desired varies from person to person. And what is needed to satisfy these personal needs is money. When you are hungry, you need money to eat something to satisfy that physiological need. When you have a self-realization desire to become a violin player, you need money to buy and learn the violin. When you want to do something for someone else, you can only give them what they need if you have money. Money is a means. The purpose is your own desires that can be achieved through money.
Greed for money to satisfy physiological needs is ugly.
Is being greedy for money a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on what stage the person’s needs are. People in the physiological needs stage need money to survive immediately. Since I have to make a living, I have no time to worry about others. No matter what happens to others, it is important for me to make money. People in the physiological and safety needs stage save and spend money only for themselves or their families. They sometimes steal other people’s money, and sometimes appear as if they don’t care what happens to others. The rich people that people criticize, the stingy rich, and the ugly people who only care about money are all people who pursue money at this stage. People at the social need stage and esteem need stage are different. People at this stage value relationships with others. I try to get along well with others and try to help them. To do that, you have to spend money. Rather than trying to take other people’s money, try to give it to them. The compassionate rich and the kind-hearted rich are people of this stage.
Is greed for money good or bad? This depends on what needs you want to satisfy through money. If you are greedy for money to achieve physiological and safety needs, you may cause harm to those around you. However, if you are greedy for money to achieve social and esteem needs, it is good for everyone. Being greedy for money at this stage is something that should be encouraged.
Dr. Seongrak Choi…
He graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of International Economics and earned a doctorate in public administration from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration and a doctorate in business administration from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Science. He worked as a professor of business administration at Dongyang Mirae University, but retired after making 5 billion won in assets through investment in 2021 and is living as a Fire family member.
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《This article Weekly Donga No. 1432It was published in》
Seongrak Choi, Ph.D. in Business Administration
2024-03-24 14:37:00