What's the difference between Dream, Ambition and Greed?

[KnightCross]

Don't all they mean the same thing?

But Dream is a word you use for yourself, friends, and people that you love.
Ambition, for other people who you don't know so well
Greed, for your enemies :D :D

---KnightCross, 7th May 2017

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+1 y

i don't want to reply any person below but the point of my question is:what makes something to be more than you need? for example: having the goal to become a billionaire is that dream, ambition or greed?(not saying this is my goal lol)

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+1 y

well, since nobody could not enlighten me in this question and change my mind about that, I will give MHO to the first opinion who says "whatever :)"... you can write it as comment if you have already given ur opinion

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+1 y

the first ones who says MEE earns MHO

[AlexBlack007]

Well ambition is the correct word if you want to describe what you want your future to be. Dream is just thoughts in our subconscious mind when we are asleep. Nothing in the dream is unknown, at some point you have experienced or seen the exact same thing you see in your dream. You might see your own house in your dream but the design can be different, for example the interior is a combination of your actual house and your friend's house or even has the corridor of the White House that you saw in a picture. People dream about being with famous people but only if they have seen their face and heard their voice at some point (maybe in some TV interview, movie, etc.) For someone to be able to shape the dreams himself, he has to be lucid. Read about lucid dreaming if you want.

"I wanna be an astrophysicist", this is not a dream, this is an ambition.

And greed, well, greed is the nature of a person who is never satisfied with what he has, he always wants more. :)

[KnightCross]

" Dream is just thoughts in our subconscious mind when we are asleep">>> lol... big lol right here... i giggled... i don't mean this type of dream

"And greed, well, greed is the nature of a person who is never satisfied with what he has, he always wants more" >>> isn't this the same for a person who has Ambition or a Dream but haven't achieved it yet? for this person's POV he is not satisfied with what he has and wants more :D :D

[AlexBlack007]

Nah mate, the literal meanings are what makes them different that's why I described what dreams actually are. I know you didn't mean that type of dream. Thing is, people have started using the word "dream" in instead of "ambition" which is wrong, dreams are totally different.

Greed is an intense and selfish desire to have wealth and/or power. A greedy person is unreasonably selfish and doesn't care if he even deserves what he wants. In simple words of Mister Google, "ambition serves a purpose while greed is self serving." :)

[KnightCross]

well but that depends of the point of view. for some, "ohh that dude is greedy", but by your definition it may not be greedy if his greed serves some other people's purposes too.

also it's very person to define what is "unreasonably selfish", how can u define it? also who determines if one deserves what he/she wants? i see no actual difference between greed and ambition

[AlexBlack007]

You're right about people's point of view, a person's ambition can be mistaken for greed sometimes but if you know the purpose behind the person's desire, it makes it easier to see the difference.

About what a person deserves, is that person working to get what he wants? An ambitious person does, whereas a greedy person does not. A greedy guy does not care if he's using wrong means to get what he wants, wrong means like stealing or even killing. Ambitious people earn what they want, if they do spoil someone else's life it's either unintentional or meant for the greater good. 😎

[KnightCross]

" An ambitious person does, whereas a greedy person does not" >>>> not really, it's quite the opposite, a greedy person is obsessed with his/her goal

"Ambitious people earn what they want, if they do spoil someone else's life it's either unintentional or meant for the greater good. "">>>>> welll... then that means that under the conditions that you are simply not aware of the impact of your actions, then everything is OK you can just do it that it's fine! that's moronic

[Phoenix98]

A dream is something you wish or hope to happen it's not inherently good or bad that depends on what you dream about.

Ambition is the drive to succeeded and get further ahead, make something out of yourself. It's not bad but can be done in the wrong manner.

Greed is the selfish desire to accumulate wealth for yourself to keep for yourself and no one else.

[Phoenix98]

MEE.

[Phoenix98]

yay!

[rose004b]

- A dream is a specific goal you want to achieve. It's something that would bring you satisfaction and make you happy.
- Ambition is drive. It's the fuel to achieve your dreams (= reach your goals), to be successful and to keep setting new goals for yourself.
- Greed is a thirst that cannot be quenched, lool. A strong desire to obtain something, especially material things and power, by any means.

[KnightCross]

i see. so ambition is the fuel, dream is the goal. So what's the difference between Ambition and Greed? Have you realized that you ended up using words to describe the same thing, but in relation to dream, you do use positive words (drive, successful, new goals); in relation to greed, negative words (thirst, cannot be quenched, material, power, any means)?

[rose004b]

I more or less made a difference between them:

- Ambition can be fulfilled while greed cannot be (greed is "a thirst that cannot be quenched").
- Ambition has a positive connotation while greed does have a negative connotation because it's something that can drive us to do immoral things in order to obtain what we want ("by any means"). Hence, greed is harmful.

I didn't look up these words in the dictionary on purpose. I'll go check the definitions xD

[KnightCross]

hahaha i see... my point is for reflection though not to bug you :) so please take it lightly i just like to think deep :)

because for me... it seems all they are the same stuff because the concepts which are inherently to Ambition and Greed definition are relatives, and not absolute.

For example, how can you determine whether a goal/greed cannot be fulfilled? Nobody actually knows it. So you cannot say whether one has a greed or an ambition.
I think that only concept/idea that distinguish ambition of greed is immorality. Ambition is not immoral per se, but greed is immoral. But how can u define immorality? Don't you need to simply overlook some shit if you want to achieve something, specially if other people you are competing with are not "playing fair"?

[rose004b]

No worries, I'm not bothered :)

Ambition and greed are not the same thing. Words have meaning and these 2 are not synonyms. There is, however, a thin frontier between them.

Greed is merely an excessive, selfish desire so it has nothing to do with achieving your dreams. It implies that you always want more and more and more and that you're never satisfied with what you do actually have.

Ambition is tied with your dreams (you can't have one without the other). Ambition is positive, most likely because it motivates you to work hard and to obtain things with your own power instead of taking short cuts and harming others. When hard work pays off and you reach your goals you feel necessarily satisfied. However, since life goes on you need to set a new goal for yourself, so rinse and repeat.

I think defining immorality would be off-topic.

[KnightCross]

i think this has to do with morality because in order to make clear my point i will give you a concrete example:
Having the goal to become a billionaire is that dream, ambition or greed?(not saying this is my goal lol). What characterizes one's dream/ambition/greed?

[rose004b]

That's just a fantasy xDDDD

Not, but seriously, it depends, I think. Making money can be both a dream or greed. It depends on what means you resort to to obtain it. This is an interesting example because money is one of those things that corrupts people and it pushes people to act immorally. The obsessive, selfish desire to have huge amounts of money can be easily qualified as greed.

[KnightCross]

so let me see if i understood it right... if one aims to make a lot of money, as long as he does that according to the law, it's not greed, it's a dream?

by the way nothing is impossible darling :) tell that to Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Walt Disney (who had a vision to create Disney in the middle of nowhere in the desert! people thought that was a phantasy too!)

[rose004b]

No. By "the means" I don't only mean following the law because money doesn't poof out of thin air. What I mean is, how exactly do you plan to make money: for example, will you be a doctor, will you be a businessman, or do you simply wish you could win the lottery? All of these combine dreams and ambition.
On the other hand if your goal is to make a lot of "easy" money, will you become a drug dealer? Will you rob a bank? Will you be dishonest and unethical scammer? That's cupidity.

That aside, madhatters4 made a good point: "greed: is more about how much we want that is excessive and beyond anything we need".

Lastly... Of course it's possible to become a billionaire but let's get real here. Becoming a billionaire is a mere fantasy for most people because the vast majority don't have the talent, the brains, the vision or the luck to be achieve what the people you mentioned achieved. By the way, those people sure had big dreams and ambition.

[rose004b]

Another example of greed can be taken precisely from highly successful multinationals: the practice of sweatshops. That's a great example.

[KnightCross]

ohh so Bill Gates were not greedy neither Steve Jobs, they had dreams and ambitions instead! :D:D seee... i just want you to see my point can u see that? So if one achieves what he wants and holds a positive image of himself, then he accomplished his dream and not greed :D :D

also again... about "excessive" and "more than enough" are relative concepts. for me becoming a billionaire may not be enough, because having 1 billion of dollars is not enough to change and fix the world (this is just an hypothetical example :P). that's why what i find "excessive" may be seem to you excessive but not for me or any other person, capisce?

[rose004b]

*small correction: winning the lottery has nothing to do with ambition. It's just a dream and closer to a fantasy.

[KnightCross]

but ok let's end this discussion because i don't want to make you mad :) just think in Bill Gates in how much money he does have, and how much money Steve Jobs achieved too... they were not greedy, they were just ambitious men

[rose004b]

"about "excessive" and "more than enough" are relative concepts. for me becoming a billionaire may not be enough".

Nah, "enough" and "excessive" are objective concepts.
Since we're talking about money here, what is "enough" amounts to the living wage. "Excessive" it can be simply a matter of proportion: trying to get much more than you're capable of earning, more than you're worth can be considered excessive.

"just think in Bill Gates in how much money he does have, and how much money Steve Jobs achieved too... they were not greedy, they were just ambitious men".

How much money they actually made is just the result of their extreme success. Were they extremely ambitious? Obviously. Were they greedy? Most likely. I completely ignore how they have conducted their business.

[KnightCross]

if i point out one more thing about u said earlier u will become mad to me... ok u won, there is no way a man can win a debate with a girl

[rose004b]

As long you make sound arguments, it would be ridiculous to get mad. However, in the end, I stand by my very first post. You don't need to keep responding f you don't want to

[KnightCross]

i'm chill :D it will not change my mind that there is no limit for our ambitions/dreams/greed

[menina]

Dream: Something that you've always wanted to do. That would make you so happy.
Ambition: It's where you want to be and who you want to be.
Greed: It's close friends with jealousy. It might get you in trouble.

[menina]

Thanks for the MHO!

[BuchitaBuchys]

Dreams are like your goals. Ambition is like that force that'll help you achieve them. And greed is when that force consumes you and becomes excessive and you keep wanting more than you need.

[Nzojkah]

Really good question
Let me think about it and get back to you

[KnightCross]

thank you! i'm waiting for ur reply then

[lifes_curve_ball]

I would say a dream is something you want, something you hope for. Ambition is the drive to go get it. Greed is excessively desiring something, to a point where it's more than you need, to a point where it's never enough. As such a dream is much satisfy than greed.

[KnightCross]

i don't know if you have realized it but... your definition of dream and ambition are pretty the same. Also about Greed, how do you define "excess","more than you need"? Who determines what you need and what is enough for you?

[lifes_curve_ball]

Nah, your dream is just something you want, doesn't mean you have any drive to go get it. You can want plenty of things without any drive to actually go get them. As far as what is excess/more than you need, well for certain things it's subjective and for others I would mark it as what would be considered observably wasteful. For example, greed in terms of food would be always taking more than you can eat and then tossing it in the trash whereas greed when it comes to something like your vehicle would be subjective to each individual's thoughts on the matter.

[KnightCross]

"For example, greed in terms of food would be always taking more than you can eat and then tossing it in the trash" >>> that's a good example, but still one could simply store the things that he can eat instead of tossing it in the trash would that be greed or ambition?

imagine a person who has a goal to get all the fast food in the world, would that be greed or ambition? assume that the person will not necessarily eat that, that person can do whatever he/she wants with it

[Omar5881]

Dream is something you wish that happens but most likely it won't because of the unrealstic way you choose to achieve that dream

Ambition is a possible dream where you choose the realistic ways of achieving the purpose or goal

Greed is where you wanna achieve that goal WITHOUT any cost ( tiresome , money , time , depressions , hardships , etc )

[KnightCross]

where did u get that from Islam teachings?

[Omar5881]

Excuse me?

[madhatters4]

i would say no
dream: something we want but not necessarily planned for. like i dream of having a tesla
ambition: is more about willing we are to go after the things we want.
greed: is more about how much we want that is excessive and beyond anything we need, especially at the expense of others

[NightRaven]

Basically let's put it this way..

Dream: aw that's beautiful.

Ambition: it's beautiful, I'll make it mine.

Greed: it was beautiful, I'll take it again and again.

[KnightCross]

well... Greed is not again and again, otherwise it would not be greed, it must be something new and different that u don't have yet. so does that not make Greed synonym to Ambition?

[Soteris]

can't disagree more.

Dreams are what you aspire to, Ambitions is your driving force and Greed is when you done fuckt up.

[KnightCross]

don't aspiring to and driving force have similar meanings? and greed is just an ambition achieved in a unPC way?

[Soteris]

Not really. It is quite possible to have dreams without the ambition to accomplish them and that is fine. Greed however is when ambition loses its meaning and becomes a means to a means to a means to a means without any end.

[KnightCross]

i don't want to reply any person below but the point of my question is:what makes something to be more than you need? for example: having the goal to become a billionaire is that dream, ambition or greed?(not saying this is my goal lol)

[Soteris]

Well that is kind of missing the point isent it? So your goal is to become a billionaire. Is it because you want the fame or recognition of becoming one perhaps? Is it because of what you can do after becoming one? Or is it just because it is more money then you had before at which point your goal becomes to become a trillionare.

Of course there is various forms of greed but they all comes down to misplaced priorities.

[KnightCross]

i see... now we can start talking... basically you are talking that it depends of the inner intentions of that goal.

[Soteris]

Kinda. Goals are for the benefit of yourself so they have to, for lack of better words "result" in something. Greed however, in my opinion just boils down to "have just to have". Its like a computer stuck in an infinite loop going on forever without accomplishing anything.

Sure you can talk to these people and have them tell you what they get out of getting more and more of whatever their greed aims at but that is more of an addiction problem then anything resulting from what they are hoarding.

In the end I guess I can sum my views on this as:
"A normal human desire that has become faulty."

[Flipper1617]

A dream is something to keep you motivated, an ambition is something you strive for, and greed is needing something you can't live without

[cupidkisses]

you can't feed a greedy person, he will never feel full