Work for Good, Work for Greed

Image by John McNab via Flickr

I am a fan of the core thought behind Opus Dei--that all work is for God. In root, the main theory of this religious group is that all work, whether it be of a CEO or a janitor, is directed toward the glorification of God; therefore, all work can be sanctified.

Can all work be included? If a profession has two goals--one public and one private--and the public goal is truly a good goal, but the private goal is based on greed, can that work be sanctified?

The first thought that comes to mind is borrowed from the secular. Gordon Gekko from Wall Street is known to be the King of Green. For those who aren't familiar, the 1987 movie character has, perhaps, the best encouragement of greed in recent history. The famous scene can be seen on YouTube, but the moneyquote:

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind.

Of course, I find it safe to proclaim that Mr. Gekko is wrong and likewise, the private motivation of such a profession is also wrong. Greed, even if the intention of that greed (the well-being of the person's family) is good, is wrong. Work, by its very nature, demands a just wage to be paid for work and so the well-being of a family should, by the natural by-product of work, be satisfied without an artificial greed.

If we can judge the private goal as being detrimental to the common good, can the work be "saved" by the positive outcomes of the labor? Greed is not a requirement for those preforming the labor, although it is used as the carrot to keep them working. Can the worker ignore the carrot, ignore the quotas or production quantity standards, but do the labor for the greater good and the greater glory of God?

I submit that, if the good being produced and your personal methods of producing the wood are good, then yes. There is nothing opposing the sanctification of work toward the glory of God. There will be difficulty in turning out the voices of greed and it will be a temptation, but a strong spiritual life can focus and ground a person in such a profession.

Greed is never good. Greed is never truly productive toward the greater good. Greed is a virus that can infect someone doing actual good.