The adjective greedy or avid expresses the intense desire for something. Thus, if we say "my boss is hungry for money" or "the team is hungry for wins" we are indicating that both the boss and the team have a strong desire. This intensity is comparable to the excitement to achieve a goal. We say that we are hungry for something when we have an irrepressible impulse that pushes us towards what we want to achieve.
The adjective greedy corresponds to the noun greed, which is a feeling similar to ambition, passion or voracity. The opposite idea to greed would therefore be indifference, apathy, discouragement or disinterest. Thus, greed and indifference would be two antagonistic concepts.
When we use the expression "I am eager for ..." we are indicating that we really want to do something, be it eating, playing, dancing or any other activity
By using the adjective greedy we are saying that our appetite is especially intense and very unusual. If someone has not eaten for a day, when night comes they will surely be hungry to put some food in their mouth.
In romantic language, greed and greed are used to show that the feeling of love is intense and passionate. On the other hand, when a person has a great interest in learning, he is hungry for knowledge. If someone has a great love for reading, they can also say that they are an avid reader. These examples highlight that the adjective greedy is related to inclinations or passions that can be considered unusual in terms of intensity.
The origin of the term and a reflection on it
It comes from the Latin avidus, which we could translate as anxious or with great ambition. If we think of the feeling of ambition or intense desire, we are facing a concept with two faces: passion.
Feeling a passion for something is a way of giving ourselves emotionally to what we want, be it a person, a goal or a hobby.
However, if the passion or desire is uncontrolled this leads to problematic situations, just as it happens in addictions. This duality of passions has been the subject of analysis by some philosophers.
In this sense, Aristotle recommended that passion be subject to the recommendation of the middle term as the ideal formula, in such a way that morally the correct attitude would be to find the reasonable balance between anxiety and apathy.
Photos: iStock - 101dalmatians / Jaume Ribera
