About greed in the amateur radio community and beyond

October

2025

23:43

About greed in the amateur radio community and beyond

религия

29 October 2025 23:43

It happens that I buy something “in reserve” from parts (connectors, cable, etc.). I recently bought a second Aiben C5S receiver because of the price/quality ratio. This is greed.

In Christianity, pride or arrogance is considered the main sin. But greed is the same dangerous sin, because stems from "unsatiated heart"- passions of covetousness. Passion, according to Ozhegov’s dictionary: extreme passion, addiction to something. In other words, passion is addiction:

1) psychogenic obsessive need for a certain activity;
2) dependence on any activity.

The primacy of the spiritual over the soul and the soul over the material is violated: man needs more and more material goods, that is, things and natural resources.

Treatment for passion:
1)dispassionateness(lack of attachment to anything or anyone)
2)humility(awareness of fate) and stoicism(acceptance of fate),
3)meager consumption, conscious poverty(like holy fools),
4)exclusion of random stimuli(which are reaction triggers, for example, sins of envy and despondency),

5)correcting your thoughts and speech. Reading the Gospel will help with this,
6) 6)trust in God."The Lord is my hope". Ps.90.9. For example, if adversity, illness or persecution,
7)doing in a broad sense, and not for myself(counteracting selfishness),
8)self-control- passion leads away from the Lord,
9)reflection about your actions repentance for sins, visiting church and participating in it Sacraments.

What does the Old Testament Bible say about greed?

The selfish man will destroy his house, but the one who hates gifts will live.

-- Proverbs chapter 15, verse 27 https://bible.by/syn/20/15/

A little is better for the righteous than the great riches of sinners. ...
The sinner borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.
-- Psalter, fifth kathisma, psalm 36, verses 16 and 21.

These are the spans that Thou hast laid down for my days, and my composition is as nothing before Thee, even though every living man is all vanity.
For a man walks like this, but he is in vain; he hoards treasure, and I don’t know who will collect it.
-- Psalter, sixth kathisma, psalm 38, verses 6 and 7.

New Testament Bible on Covetousness:

At the same time he said to them: look out, beware of covetousness, for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions.
-- Gospel of Luke chapter 12, verse 15 https://bible.by/syn/42/12/.

Therefore, put to death your members on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust and covetousness, which is idolatry,
for which the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
in which you also once were converted when you lived among them.
-- Colossians chapter 3 - 5, 6 and 7 verses: https://bible.by/syn/58/3/.

Consequences of Greed

for the root of all evil is the love of money, which, having given themselves over, some have strayed from the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows.
-- 1st Timothy chapter 6 - verse 10: https://bible.by/syn/61/6/.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests
and said: What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you? They offered him thirty pieces of silver;
and from that time on he sought an opportunity to betray Him.

-- Gospel of Matthew 26 chapter 14, 15 and 16 verses:https://bible.by/syn/40/26/.

Countering the Passion of Greed

It is a great gain to be pious and contented.

-- 1st Timothy 6 chapter 6 verse:https://bible.by/syn/61/6/.

With this I will say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each one should give according to the disposition of his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion; For God loves a cheerful giver.
-- 2 Corinthians 9 chapter 6 and 7 verses: https://bible.by/syn/54/9/.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal,
-- Gospel of Matthew 6 chapter 20 verse: https://bible.by/syn/40/6/.

Jesus Christ emphasizes the need acquisition(i.e. acquisitions, receipts, achievements) “treasures in heaven”, directions of the heart to eternal bliss in the Kingdom of God, for which are necessary efforts(“The kingdom of heaven is taken by force”—Matthew 11:12).

boundless love for God: 1) for His compassion for humanity, according to which He sent His Son; 2) for his Sacrifice to deliver man from the power of sin; 3) for showing us the path of salvation through faith in Christ; 4) for the opportunity for any person (even a robber) to be saved; 5) for reflections of the perfect world through beauty in this temporary place; 6) for trials and difficulties that are sent to cleanse the soul of all bad things and strengthen character.
good deeds for the Glory of God (following the second commandment: “love your neighbor as yourself.” Activities to help your neighbor and work for the community of your temple, etc.);
evasion from evil (removal from sins: suppression of anger and hatred, gluttony, envy, greed, etc.);
eradication of selfishness, conceit and pride (refusal from criticizing others, enduring insults, overcoming feelings of injustice);
shifting the center of the world from oneself to the Creator: attributing all one’s achievements to God;
self-condemnation, seeing one's sins: work on character flaws, self-criticism and self-control;
7 spiritual virtues: long-suffering, prayer, chastity, mercy and almsgiving, abstinence, humility, love.