Gossip: a “vital” but subversive communication between individuals. While idle chatter may seem harmless and often uplifting, there are often more disturbing undertones to the situation. The people involved try to strengthen their own social position and undermine others in the conversation. This occurs in their restrictive, tunneling pursuit of personal gain in public reputation at the risk of the feelings of others. Rumors, arguments, and deception are some of the most common methods of human interfacing, as they represent a means of promoting selfish desires despite the consequences. Humanity is often seen as a broken face facing an infinite ocean of desire. To truly understand the meaning of the word “human” one must intrinsically search, observe the history of the human race and analyze the surrounding environment before making even a banal hypothesis. Analyzing periods of anxiety, stress, and power struggles is often critical to discerning this critical definition. War, anguish, hatred, fear, destruction, ambition and progress are just some of the many facets resulting from this voracious desire to be considered an elite member of the human race. Throughout human history, the human race has proven to be defined by the individual's insatiable thirst for personal profit above all other goals. Few events show the depravity and lust of the human condition for personal profit like Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme before the 2008 housing crisis. During the years before and after the stock market bubble, Madoff was in control of one of the largest hedge fund investment firm in the world. He single-handedly embezzled seventeen point five billion dollars and destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of his hedge fund investors... middle of paper... transgressions against the "accepted" rules of human society and civilization they serve to remind us of the dangers of the extreme nature of the human condition to seek personal profit. In a certain sense it is almost comforting to note that he was killed because he was forced to drink liquid gold. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print.Golding, William G. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.Picard, Irving H. “Liquidation Proceedings of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.” Madoff Trustees. The Madoff Recovery Initiative, n.d. Web. May 21, 2014. 1994 Rwanda Genocide. PPU Information: Genocide. Peace Pledge Union, ndWeb. May 20, 2014.Shelley, Maria. Frankenstein. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.Plutarch. "The Life of Crassus." Penelope.uchicago.edu. University of Chicago and Web. May 20 2014.