Greed is not good -- for you, your family or the global economy

Click to EnlargeCharles Sizemore recently shared this image with me. It��s a great snapshot of the euro zone debt crisis, and how out of control things are. However, keen-eyed editor that I am, I had to ask for more:

��There’s no scale for the Y axis.�� I wrote. “I assume that’s millions, meaning we are currently 2.6 billion?��

His response: ��No way man, try trillions.? This is central bank money we’re talking about!?��

I didn��t know whether to laugh or to throw my laptop in rage.

Consider this:

• The average four-year U.S. state college costs $21,447 a year. That $2.6 trillion in European Central Bank cash could send 121.2 million teens to college. There are about 73 million Americans under age 18 as of this writing — meaning every single one of them could get at least a year of college for free.

• Some of the most impoverished people in African and Asia live on less than $1 a day — meaning if you grant a generous $1,000 per family, you could pay for the subsistence of 2.6 billion households. There are only about 6 billion folks in the entire world.

• $2.6 trillion is roughly the cost of all health care in America in 2008.

I could continue to list figures and facts. But the bottom line is that $2.6 trillion could do an enormous amount of good in this world.

Instead, it��s bailing out spendthrift and irresponsible governments in Europe.

That��s an oversimplification, sure. But it needs to be said. This holiday season, when we’re supposed to be thinking about things bigger than ourselves, oversimplifications like that are needed more than ever.

It��s time to think about what really matters.

This is not an evangelical plea at Christmas for you to repent and save your soul. I simply want to point out that, for those of us who work in the world of finance, a little perspective goes a long way. The current economic dumpster fire we’r! e suffer ing through has no easy solutions, but as bad as things are for investors. . .they’re a hell of a lot worse for many folks who don��t even have money for rent — or food — let alone a 401(k).

So take some time before the new year to be thankful for what you have, and to empathize with those millions of people who have much less. Alone, that’s not enough to fix the mess we’re in. But it��s a good place to start.

Happy holidays to all.

Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com. Write him at editor@investorplace??.com, follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.