Profit In a World of Need

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, 

and lose his own soul?” 

-- Mark 8:36, King James Version

What is the value of your soul? For those who believe, the value of the soul is measured by its eternal quality. It will never die. Your soul – your spirit – will live forever. It is that part of you that has understanding and wisdom. Its worth is truly immeasurable as are its returns on investment. The value of a soul is grounded in faith.

For nonbelievers, the soul is finite. Thus, most nonbelievers' understanding of “profit” is the accumulation of worldly goods they amass until their ultimate demise. Then, wills and other legal declarations transfer the monetary estate to others, be they family, friends, or charities. The worth is measurable – either in life or in death – and its value is purely economic in nature.

Nonetheless, if economics is a science, it must accept the principles of morality taught by the sciences of philosophy and theology. However, many economists prefer to sidestep the moral issue: they see the pursuit of profit as a substitute for morality. Enter unbridled greed and the overwhelming desire for personal acquisition at any cost.

Applied to conservative politics, this yields a hierarchy with the wealthy citizens on the top and the poor – those assumed to be weak by those above them – on the bottom. In the eyes of the wealthy, the bottom dwellers can earn redemption only by suffering and thus, supposedly, getting an incentive to do better. In the meantime, they are doomed to live in scorn without privilege.

Taken to the extreme, some would eliminate any consideration of the needs of the public altogether in order to monopolize their own profit and gain. In other words, economics and moral concerns do not neatly align. Christians and nonbelievers alike struggle with their beliefs and their opposing actions. Money is such a powerful force.

Economics cannot define “good” nor determine the intrinsic value of a moral act. It is easy to believe in the hierarchy of charity that ought to be among people, but in the midst of acquiring wealth and status, people often lose this belief – and their souls – by loving money over mankind. Hence the teaching of Scripture, "Do no set your heart on riches, even when they increase."

“The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for

the sake of something else.”

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

The Economic Policy Institue found that from 2009 to 2015, the average income of the top 1% grew by 33.9%, more than triple the 10.3% income growth among the remaining 99%. In the years since the Great Recession, the bottom 90% saw annual wage growth of just 5.4%; by contrast, the wages of the top 0.1% grew 29.8%. To be among the top 1% of U.S. earners, a family needs an income of $421,926, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute finds.

Greed – avarice, lust, want, covetousness – is not exclusive to the rich. The selfish, excessive desire for more of something affects people of all incomes. Greed stems from a basic fear of life. To be exact, greed is driven by a fundamental sense of deprivation, a need for something that is lacking or unavailable. Greed, unchecked, destroys your family, friendships and relationships, resulting in unhappiness. It creates tunnel vision while making you reckless, arrogant, and lazy.

Money, profit, soul – no one doubts that riches make the acquisition of pleasure on earth much easier. What must be questioned is the need for excess money at the expense of the common good. When working people struggle because they cannot afford decent housing, food, and healthcare, you must do some soul searching … that is, if you even believe you have a soul.