Blog 21

Let’s be honest; money plays a huge role in today’s society. As much as people don’t want to admit it, money is extremely important. “In twenty-first century corporate life, the idea of avarice is also associated with a greed for power,” (Long, 248). So not only do people want money, they also want power because with money comes power. Money and power can become a very dangerous combination because both enable a person to get it is what they desire. “Money comes to represent the power to buy all that is desired,” (Long, 250). Because Jayne had such a strong desire for money, he thought that the money could change him. While negotiating the deal with the Feds, one of them said to Jayne that he would “soon become a very rich man”. Right then and there, Jayne probably thought about all of the things he could do with that money. A “very rich man” equates to having and doing extravagant things: cars, houses, vacations, and parties. Now, Jayne might not have been thinking that far into the future but he had to have been thinking of something extravagant when he decided to go through with his plan of selling Simon and River out to the Feds. Because of the desire for this massive amount of money, Jayne ultimately lost his self-control. “Greed taken into action is popularly seen as an exemplification of the break-down of self-control,” (Long, 248). When a person loses their self-control, they are more than likely to make mistakes that might end up making them deal with serious consequences.