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Lessons learnedExperience excerpt · English

> We're all greedy

> We're all greedy. We all want to get the most for our money, time and effort. We are? For example, I never file taxes. I'm certain I could get quite a bit back. I am far from rich, I earn medium pay in Germany - medium overall, not medium in IT. (Because I deliberately took a more rewarding and relaxing job, but that's besides the point.) I will not fill my mind with "money" stuff. Even if that costs me some of that money. I am sure, given that the terms used are as fuzzy as can be, you can twist and shake the words until you can claim that I am "greedy", the problem with this rationality discussions is how extremely flexible the words used are, making it quite impossible to win or lose an argument. All one has to do is insist on one's own definitions... but taking a relaxed view, I don't see good way to make not-at-all-rare positions such as mine as a form of "greed", without severely twisting the commonly understood meaning(s). I think a lot of that world view is self-fulfilling. When I was a kid I LOVED working like the adults. …

Original discussionDeath rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over495 source comments · at import
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NI

We're all greedy. We all want to get the most for our money, time and effort. Greed and desire push us to spend our energy, otherwise we'd simply conserve it. It's normal, it's natural and it works. It's human (and animal) nature. Altruism works fine in individuals and small organizations. But large systems based on altruism uniformly failed to provide the most basic necessities (like food) for their citizens. Can't work against human nature.

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NI

> We are? Yes we are. When discussing a salary offer, do you negotiate it down ? When buying products and services, do you just pay the minimum amount asked or do you offer more from the goodness of your heart? When getting your paycheck do you immediately donate most of it to the less fortunate in Africa, keeping only enough to cover the bare necessities for yourself? If not, welcome to the club: you too are greedy. > When I was a kid I LOVED working like the adults. My kids loved helping with yard when they were little. Their reward was spending time with me and learning. It was enough then. Now, as teens, not so much. I have to pay to motivate them. > Work was FUN! Work is still fun, for me at least. But a paycheck makes it even better. I don't know anybody cleaning sewage for pure fun though. > East Germany I too grew up in communist Eastern Europe. I clearly remember the never endin…

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SA

Thank you for sharing this unpopular opinion. Idea of people caring about money above all else and money being sole measure of things and 'more money is always better' is a huge delusion of our modern societies. I think we are taking this idea to an extreme and we are already bearing consequences. I am afraid there will be more to come until the bell swings back. I hope it does not break the civilization as we know on it's way forward.

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