Self-Interest, Miserliness, and Greed

There are states that do not hurt, do not itch, do not throb — and are still symptoms. Miserliness is one. Greed is another. Self-interest that overrides others is a third. You feel no pain when you calculate where others give. You feel no tightness when you hold on to what wanted to flow. You feel only — if you are honest — a quiet, constant tension. The reflex to compare. The pressure to lose nothing. The gaze that always measures before it perceives.