Greed has been with us since man walked the earth upright. Greed is a relentless, insatiable desire and drive to possess more than one needs, often at the expense of others.
Most narcissists are greedy. They are constantly planning and plotting (even in their sleep) how to expand their power base and increase their material generosity. There is no end to greed. The narcissist hungers for everything in and out of his grasp: money, property, power, adulation, fame, dominance over the lives of others. Narcissistic greed is ultimately driven by an unconscious bottomless pit of psychological emptiness.
In some narcissists, greed grows so strong that these individuals destroy the lives of others to get what they want. There is no end; there are no brakes, no laws or judgments to stop the drive of narcissistic greed. When narcissists give (some are generous) they make sure they do so with great honor and public fanfare.
With a greedy narcissist, everyone else in their life is there to achieve their goal of acquiring and keeping more. Like the fairy tales of old, there are high-level narcissists who have castles built on top of mountains so they can survey their territories and make sure there are no invading enemies lurking below. They build walls in the form of elaborate security systems and round-the-clock professional guards to protect themselves and their possessions.
While others are thinking about their family, spouses, children, parents, paying the bills, academic studies, artistic and creative endeavors, the narcissist plays the role of the King in the classic English nursery rhyme, Sing a Song of Sixpence: “Sing a sixpence song, a pocket full of rye, four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie… the King was in his accounting house, counting his money…”
The other side of greed is to give, selflessly, without batting an eye or looking back at what we will receive in return. Genuine giving comes from an open heart and a deep sense of psychological and spiritual abundance.
