Greed or Need

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed, said Mahatma Gandhi. Even at first sight, we couldn't agree more. As a child, I was too particular whenever my mother bought me something new. I incessantly complained about the colour of my clothes and that of my toys. I incessantly complained that I should dress more fashionably than my fellow villagers. And when my mother accompanied me to the market, I would hanker after everything that attracted my attention. I never took into account the price. Oh, how I made my mother suffer with my particular wishes and tastes. As an adult now, I have learned that earth, the symbol of my mother, could have provided me with anything that I needed, but not with the greedy desires I had. Now that many officials have demanded a salary rise, I hope it is their need, not their greed, that has made them take to the street. Frankly, I am not sure whether the recent, meager salary rise will solve most of the teaching staff's financial problems. I am not sure whether the rise is what they need to lead a better life or what they will get used to for a period of time and then have greed for more. We really need to satisfy our need, not our greed.