All That Glitters...

Wed, 9 Mar 11

Is money the root of all evil? Or is wealth simply a one-way ticket to true happiness?

Despite our own personal achievements and possessions, the objects of our affection always seem to be unattainable. Rushing between investor meetings, sales pitches and even handing over the last of your spare change to the bus driver can often leave you thinking that money really does make the world go around.

The 1987 film ‘Wall Street’ lifted the veil on a world of high finance and corporate corruption, with Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gekko creating a whole new meaning for the concept of greed:

 “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind.”

The infamous words uttered by the egomaniacal entrepreneur continue to enrage consumers, economists and world leaders alike, from the Vatican to Kevin Rudd in his 2008 speech ‘The Children of Gordon Gekko’.

Does greed prescribe a healthy dose of competitive spirit or does it lead to a sick obsession with status and power? Has the push for a free market economy bred a greed market monstrosity? Is the motivation to create wealth the only remedy to wilting consumer confidence?  

Post Global Financial Crisis – the world is all too aware of the volatility of the stock market and the domino effect of a fiscal disaster: from giant corporations to the everyday consumer. As we all continue our daily pursuit of happiness, the greed debate continues to gain complexity. Just make sure the pot at the end of your rainbow isn’t filled with fool’s gold…