The Eighth and the Tenth Commandment

The eighth and the tenth Commandments
-you shall not steal
-you shall not covet your neighbor's possessions
are bound together by one theme: greed.
Greed causes us to covet and obsess over that which we do not have, which leads us to stealing. But why should we not steal? Certainly there are those who need things as opposed to those who have an abundance of unnecessary items. Yet stealing is wrong.
God gives us so much in this world. Everyone is given the gifts of life, spirit, hope and happiness. But it is up to us to recognize these gifts and be thankful for them. A simple Hatian prayer says,
"Lord, even when we have no food, we can say the same thing as those who have meat, 'Thank you Jesus, you gave your life fore me.' They can't say more."
Another Hatian prayer refers to Jesus's words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs." (Mt 5:3) The prayer states,
"They say that I am poor. Thank you Father. May I also be poor in spirit that I may inherit the Kingdom of God."
But what about those who are rich? Simple logic-those that have should give so that those who do not have feel no need to steal. We should help one another. But if a person does not receive the bare necessities of life, or does not have what they need, the best thing that person can do is pray. God is all-powerful and loves each person individually. He will help you get by.
Coveting and stealing are insulting to God. He has given us so much- everything that we have- so who are we to say, "No, I want more. I demand more." God provides us with everything we need. Who are we to contradict him? He gives us no more trouble than we can handle, and if we feel like we can't handle it, then we have God, Jesus, Mary, and all the saints to pray to for guidance.
But coveting doesn't just apply to stealing actual items-it can also be applied to intangible things such as desires. When we want to be smarter, faster, stronger, prettier, than our neighbor, we are sinning. It is not sinful to compete in sports or want to be a better athlete or a better model, but when we allow jealousy to rule us, we are sinning. Instead of allowing anger to enter our hearts, we must look to our own abilities and not our faults. We should not compare ourselves to others but rather be happy for what we have.