When Leo Tolstoy penned “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” in 1886, little did he know that his short story would become even more relevant in the era of high-speed internet, stock markets, billion-dollar real estate (and to destroy that a parallel billion-dollar arms industry), and digital empires. The tale of Pahom, a simple peasant whose greed for more land leads to his untimely death, remains a chilling parable of humanity's insatiable desire for more wealth, land, and status.

The Modern Pahom: Greed in a Globalised Economy

Today’s Pahom wears a suit, builds skyscrapers, launches tech start-ups, invests in cryptocurrencies, and plans to build colonies in space or race for AI dominance. The "land" he desires is no longer measured in hectares but in terabytes, influence, real estate portfolios, or market share. But the psychology remains eerily the same: the belief that just a little more will finally bring satisfaction.

Yet, just like Pahom, modern societies are often running toward an unsustainable horizon; chasing growth at the cost of wellbeing, equity, and environmental sanity.

Capitalism, Consumption, and the Myth of ‘More’

Global capitalism thrives on expansion. Corporations are valued based on how much more they can grow, not how responsibly they operate. Consumers are encouraged to upgrade, upscale, and upsize, from phones to homes. GDP, our dominant measure of progress, doesn’t ask how happy or healthy a society is? It asks how much it consumes.

But at what cost? Climate change, rising inequality, mental health crises, and resource depletion - these are the "sunsets" catching up with us, just as they did with Pahom.

Urban Sprawl and Land Hunger

From sprawling mega-cities to real estate speculation, the hunger for land remains literal. Agricultural lands are being devoured for modern apartment societies and industrial corridors. Indigenous populations, like the Bashkirs in Tolstoy’s story, are displaced for development projects. Ironically, even as we digitize economies, the old struggle for land persists - now with more devastating consequences.

The Planet Can’t Afford Our Greed

Pahom died for a few extra acres. Today, humanity is jeopardizing an entire planet. We are deforesting the Amazon, melting the Arctic, polluting the Himalayas, and pumping carbon into the atmosphere in pursuit of more. The question is no longer just about individual morality, but collective survival.

Reimagining “Enough”

Tolstoy's story isn't just a warning; it's also a call to reevaluate what we truly need. In a world obsessed with acquisition, “enough” is a radical idea. Movements advocating for minimalism, degrowth, slow living, and ethical consumption are modern attempts to answer the question Tolstoy posed.

We must ask ourselves:

Do we need limitless profit or livable cities?

Do we need endless land or green commons?

Do we need everything, or just enough?

The Six Feet We All Need

In the end, Pahom received only six feet of land - a grave. And in truth, many don’t even need that, for some leave the world in ash, not earth. The haunting simplicity of Tolstoy’s final line forces us to confront the futility of material obsession.

As we face climate emergencies, social unrest, and mental burnout, perhaps it's time to return to the core message:

What we need may be far less than what we want. And recognizing that difference might just save us and the planet.