When The Collaborative posts curated material on our blog I usually provide a brief introductory paragraph to help set the context. Today you are getting a bit of a hybrid because these are matters that are worthy of deeper thought.
There are always feel good stories about the kindness and generosity of others at this time a year. This of course is a wonderful thing. On the flip side, we also tend to be more sensitive regarding greed during the Christmas season. This why the recent New York Times article on How the Bot Stole Christmas has gotten so much attention, and again not a bad thing.
As people who are trying to seriously wrestle with matters of our faith and work, we should not be deceived by the Christmas season. Stories during December may have added emphasis but it is not the only time of year we should be on alert for greed.
Greed is everywhere all the time.
It has been my experience, regardless of whether this is an area of temptation or not, Satan eventually figures out how to seduce us with it—greed that is. Combatting greed is best done by keeping ourselves spiritually sharp and fit. Just like physical fitness we must practice, work, and build up our own spiritual muscles.
This article below by Jim Denison is interesting because not only does it reveal the subtleties by which greed can become an acceptable standard, but it also shows that recognizing this vice for what it is can be difficult especially when it is cloaked in technological advances. Greed is powerful and a destroyer of virtue. Denison offers some helpful suggestions on how we can improve our spiritual fitness in this area.
Why is a $15 toy selling for $5,000?
Dr. Jim Denison | December 8, 2017
This New York Times headline that caught my eye: “How the Bot Stole Christmas: Toys Like Fingerlings Are Snapped Up and Resold.”
I had no idea what a Fingerling was or why I should care. Then I learned that fingerlings are “colorful chirping monkeys (and sloths and unicorns) that wrap around your finger.” They have become one of the most sought-after toys on Christmas lists.
Here’s why they are in the news: the fifteen-dollar creatures are sold out online nearly everywhere. You can’t find them at Toys “R” Us, Walmart, or Target. But you can buy them on eBay and Amazon for double, triple, and quadruple their original price. One Fingerling on eBay is advertised for $5,000.
