Dowry - a social face of greed

Now let take a look how greed seeps in our culture without us even realizing it until the whole system gets used to it as a norm whereas deep down it is actually busy cutting the roots of the civilization. A very common form of this situation is how dowry is taken as a norm in especially the South Asian culture. I especially mention the South Asian culture because the problem is at its extreme in this civilization. We will take a quick peek at how this termite is eating up our wooden house.

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need but not every mans greed" Mahatma Gandhi.

One of the most noticeably awful disasters of this society is the custom of dowry. "Dowry" implies the property and cash that a lady conveys to her other half's home at the time of her marriage.  Toward the starting it was deliberate, however later on the social pressure was such that not many could escape from it.

Dowry can range from cash, utensils, property or furniture thus bringing joy to the greedy however what an evil curse on the girls’ family for bearing this enormous burden of illegitimate demands going through both mental and financial tortures at the same time, and in most cases the bride’s parents cannot even afford it. According to me this harassment and in no religion, country or culture harassment is considered legal. 

Maybe a decade or two ago the grooms parents would atleast verbally request the bride’s family not to go through the hassle but nowadays with the global inflation on the rise, people have actually started looking forward to it  as mean some extra help for them . Not only the groom benefits from it but the whole family lurks for it. And guess what plants the seed of the need to seek dowry? What is evil that nurtures this sin? What else but Greed.

Only  the greed for accumulation and hoarding can cultivate in a human the need to stoop so low to  ask for material things from his brides family instead of being grateful for to the family for blessing him with their most prized possession, their daughter ,a piece of their heart and soul.

There was a time in the past when the qualities looked in a life partner were education, morals, virtues and maybe beauty but now in this new era of modern technology wherein mankind has reached a different dimension of success but the mental capacity to be lured by money has become worse and  by the standards of greed who cares if the bride is uneducated ,has no moral values or even ugly as long as she brings with her cash , jewelry , furniture and even property to stabilize the groom and his family and if they stable enough it will atleast satisfy their hunger and greed.

What happens when the bride does not bring enough dowry with her? The answer is read in many news papers and the cry is heard all over the world. Women are beaten, burnt and killed. Greed has made humanity fall down on its knees and loose its grace by asking for dowry.

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have" Socrates.