# Greed > Greed and the desire for power are learned behaviors acquired through human experience rather than inherent aspects of spiritual nature, remaining choices that can be transformed through conscious recognition - Canonical: https://sassani.app/topic/greed # Greed *A clenched hand and an open palm hover over the same scattered seeds* Greed, along with the desire for power and domination, is not an inherent aspect of human spiritual nature but rather a learned behavior acquired through human experience. While physical reality provides the structural capacity for such expressions, they remain choices based on learning rather than automatic reflections of one's true being. ## Learned expression versus spiritual nature When asked whether greed, the desire for power, domination, and war are part of human nature, Bashar distinguishes between the spirit's essential nature and the choices available in physical experience. He clarifies that such qualities are not inherent to the spiritual self, though physical reality does provide the capacity for their exploration. The fundamental human essence remains oriented toward different expressions; these negative patterns represent learned behaviors rather than essential traits. ## The role of learning and choice These destructive patterns arise from learning experiences within physical reality rather than from spiritual essence. Bashar frames them as choices made during the human learning process, emphasizing that individuals are not automatically destined toward greed or domination. While physical existence provides the structural possibility for such expressions, they remain conditional upon learned beliefs and definitions rather than reflecting the individual's fundamental nature. *One continuous woven green fiber changes from a tight knot into a spacious open weave* ## Practical implications Recognition of learned origin: Understanding that greed is learned rather than innate can help individuals detach from identification with such patterns and examine them more objectively. Possibility of transformation: Because these are learned expressions rather than inherent nature, they can be transformed through conscious self-change rather than being viewed as fixed traits. Self-change precedes social change: The transcript connects this insight with a broader teaching about social change: individuals shift their own reality first, which then manifests as a shift to parallel realities more aligned with their transformed state. ## Representative passages No, it is in human learning, not human nature. It is not really in your human nature in the way that you are asking the question. It is still a choice based on learning.— Bashar, Greed And Power Over Others Are Learned Expressions (greed-and-power-over-others-are-learned-expressions#qa-3) ## Related Markdown twin of https://sassani.app/topic/greed. The HTML page is the source of truth.