I've said before how much human psychology interests and baffles me. Today we have our usual coffee and donuts or bagels at the clubhouse and I know the scene will be the same as always. We "donate" a nominal $1 for endless coffee and a donut or bagel...at least that's the original idea. Many people take both bagel and donut or even a couple of donuts so we're fairly lax with our rules.
What fascinates me is how the eact moment the donuts are put on the buffet table, the crowds tear ass up there, knocking people aside, and sometimes even running to get their donut fast. These are all seniors of moderate means who are not starving. I think it's a greed mentality, making sure "we get ours".
There is no shortage of donuts because the people working the kitchen will always bring out 1 or 2 trays full after the first rush and take them around to each table offering seconds or thirds. The same people who ran to the buffet table the first time usually decline the second offering.
So why the gang rush in the beginning??
A similar thing happened when we were given a "free lunch" at our usual Tuesday sausage lunch. Someone who always buys only a bowl of soup and brings their own drink so they don't have to buy one, grabbed full meals and pies to take home. Again, this is not a needy person. So why the greed?
It may all be the same reason we overeat at a buffet dinner. We want to make sure we're getting our money's worth and the fact that we're consuming more than we need or even want doesn't seem to matter. We have become rabid consumers, buying toys and gadgets at an alarming rate and digging ourselves into a mountain of debt because we falsely believe we're entitled to it all.
Hence the run on the donut table.
Greed is one of the seven sins and for good reason.
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