Liza,

<< But how did it [greed] start? >>

Perhaps when some food or lack of food required that the body needed more
water than normal, or more enzymes than normal, or more nutrients than
normal...

A trust may have been betrayed between the body and it's environment or
food...

It's a very interesting question...

It is like things get out of balance and one organ, or aspect of instinct
assumes greater importance.  Rather than being proud, we become excessively
prideful, or rather than accepting what we have and being conscious of desire,
we don't accept it and want more, or we lust after things that are not in
alignment with our true desires, or we oppress others as we oppress ourselves,
instead of granting ourselves the individuality of our self, to shine.

One of my Shelties was very jealous.  She would always sit with her bone, or
toy, and when the other would start chewing on a bone or toy, she'd get up and
steal it away, and then lie down on it, while she chewed her own.  What would
produce that in a sweet dog?  I can only imagine that her dog food threw her
organs, and thus her endocrine system out of balance, and so she fell from a
graceful state...

But that is my imaginings... ;)

Perhaps all animal species become greedy any time anything knocks them off
balance and they lose the instinct to handle it...

And thus lose perspective...

And centeredness in their Self...

Who knows...?

I don't.

Aaron