Give something back

I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean this afternoon, and was taken with two things one of the pirate captain's said.
The first was: " Take what you can and give nothing back"
The second was: " Better the days when a man did not make pacts with the Devil, but lived by the sweat of his brow and the strength of his back."
I suppose it is far fetched to compare these statements with the present malaise in the Banking sector, but I'm not so sure.
My own view would be that first one encompasses the Bankers' general greed. When times are good, they earn fortunes. When times are bad, the clients pay fortunes. Just think how much a bounced cheque or an over-limit fee is. And of course the Banks are still fighting the case against these through the courts.
The second one, of course, refers to all the toxic debt the Banks have created over the last ten years or so. Themselves, they have added nothing to human capital or wealth, and, indeed, are probably now going a long way towards destroying it.
But back to the first one.
Living your life according to the first statement has to be a recipe for misery, even for those who are taking but giving nothing back.
It can't be a coincidence that in every " happiness" survey, it is those engaged in charity and community projects that come out top.
So, despite disliking Noel Edmonds, his attempt on Sky1 to get people to give something back is long overdue, and most deserving.