Greed and growth are two sides of the same coin. As humans, we carry an innate desire to grow, to create, and to make things better. But with that desire comes the shadow of greed. The craving for more often leads to problems we don’t initially recognize: the exploitation of nature, of other people, and of resources that should have been preserved.
The greater challenge is that we are short-term thinkers. A single lifetime is too brief to truly know whether what we create will help or harm the world in the long run. Consider nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, and the internet. All these inventions carry immense benefits, yet they also hold the potential to steer humanity in directions we never intended.
The internet and smartphones are perfect examples. On the surface, they connected the world and brought endless opportunities. But look deeper, and you see millions trapped in addictions they don’t acknowledge, and families losing precious time together without realizing what has slipped away.
This is where humans need balance. The mind is restless, like a monkey jumping from branch to branch, chasing every shiny thing it sees. When left unchecked, it knows no limits. Yet we also carry within us the potential to guide that restless mind—to act not out of greed but out of dharma; to make decisions rooted in what is right, not merely in what is profitable or exciting.
I believe the only way we can truly cultivate this balance is by returning to the wisdom of ancient sanatani teachings. The gurukul system taught children not only practical skills but also discipline, brahmacharya, meditation, sense control, and, above all, an understanding of dharma. This provided a foundation for making choices with long-term clarity.
Until we learn to unite growth with wisdom, we will continue to repeat the same mistakes. And unfortunately, most of us today are nowhere near that kind of understanding.
