Envy: A definition
Considered one of the seven sins, within Catholic Christianity, and usually one of the most common cause of human misery is Envy. The irony is that this emotion causes no perceived physical pain. Aristotle defines envy as "as the pain caused by the good fortune of others," and Socrates goes far to mention that "it(Envy) is the ulcer of the human soul." In order for envy to work there must be an Envier and an Envied. The reason for this being such a destructive force is that it wishes to inflict misfortune on others. In the case of Aristotle, the good fortune could be extended to knowledge acquired, wealth, fame or beauty. These are, usually, the most common cause of envy among humans. Yet there must be a reason as to why this is considered a dangerous and destructive force.
Jealousy Vs Envy
Jealousy is both reasonable and belongs to reasonable men, while envy is base and belongs to the base, for one makes himself get good things by jealousy, while the other does not allow his neighbour to have them through envy. -: Aristotle
Jealousy, is a more broader emotion which includes the fear of loss, insecurity, anxiety over an anticipated loss etc. It does not have an associated dose of Schadenfreude. It is usually associated with relationships where in a partner is jealous of another partners interest in a different person. Though just an example, as Aristotle so rightly puts it, Jealousy instigates a person to achieve more to overcome the fear of loss while the latter, Envy brings destruction and malevolence. It enjoys itself when the Envied being is made a fool of himself/herself, loses something valuable or is degraded in some shape or form. Thus it is one of the leading cause of misery in humanity. All the great philosophers condemned it.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind. -: Buddha
The presence of Envy in a humanity is a direct measure of the level mental maturity in the civilisation -: S. Vivekananda
One who does not envy but is a compassionate friend to all ... such a devotee is very dear to Me. -: Krishna Gita Chapter 12:15
Cost of Envy
The obvious costs of envy are ridden through out history. This is evident in the Mahabharata (an ancient Indian epic) where the villain envies the protagonist to such an extent that he could not sleep, eat, or drink knowing that his enemies are prosperous. He then arranges to deceive them causing them to lose their royalty, wealth and honour. Adding insult to their injury he attempts to disrobe their queen in a public hall to indulge in his Schadenfreude, fortunately Krishna (god-incarnation) performs a miracle thus saves her dignity. This causes the epic Kurukshetra battle where he is slain and dies a slow and miserable death.
However, Envy is not absent in the Hebrew Torah. Cain, son of Adam, the first man, slaughters his only brother Abel in a fit of Envy when god refuses his offering over his brothers. Cane is thus regarded as the ancestor of evil and Abel (according to the book of Enoch 22:7) as the first martyr. Thus it is evident here, that when envy loses control (as it usually does), it can even
lead to fratricide. This is, however, just the tip of the ice-berg, when compared to the biblical character Jesus, who as a result of Envy suffered a fate worse than death. A humiliating, scrutinizing, painful torture and eventual death.
What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Matthew 26:66
Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, Matthew 26:67
They then take him to Pontinus Pilate (Roman council/Judge) who tries his best to free him. He offers a heavily flogged Christ over a sadistic, serial killer, Barabbas to go free. The crowd crows Barabbas and condemn the poor rabbi to crucifixion.
So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" Matthew 27:17*
For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. Matthew 27:18*
For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. Matthew 27:18*
Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. Matthew 27:20*
But the governor said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Matthew 27:21*
Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” Matthew 27:22*
Crucifixion is, on the whole a very sadistic, cruel and unusual punishment to condemn even a criminal with, but to have the mind to condemn a spiritual healer who preached love and compassion
If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. Matthew 5:39
The cost of envy is unrepairable when it has reached its loathing state. We all know that Hitler came to power by scape-goating the Jewish community. The German word Schadenfreude was coined when they were indulging in this emotion as the Jewish doctors and lawyers were washing their toilets during the NAZI regime. This emotion got so out of control that it lead to their genocide in concentration camps. Thus we can see that Envy breeds Hatred.
It should be no surprise that when Sir Winston Churchill, who handled the World War so well, proved his capacity as a statesman, should have easily won the parliamentary elections. Unfortunately, the party he was representing lost by a landslide.
Coping With envy
So the million dollar question remains, How does one cope with envy?
Determining the cause is important. The common phrase, "An idle mind is a devils workshop" is most often true. Envy, used to be most common among women who spent most of their time gossiping and spreading slander. Thus it was considered as a wholly feminine emotion. It was an incorrect consideration.
For the theist, this is an easy solution. Be content with what the supreme has bestowed on to you. Ask and yearn, work hard and earn you desire rather than wasting your good deeds and penances (tapasya) on the evils of drishti (evil eye). The other approach from a Karmic view, is to accept that an individual is enjoying the benefits of his previous good deed, now you perform good deeds to benefit man kind. As an agnostic/atheist, it would be beneficial to turn the envy into admiration. Admire the aspect, achievement, or fortune of the envied and transform an evil emotion into one of inspiration and love. Envy is trapped when it has to face a more powerful emotion, love. When Christ was on the Cross, he begs god for the forgiveness of his persecutors. Evidence of a highly mature mind. Love thy neighbour was his principle, and till his dying breath he lived by this principle.
Coping as the envied.
In most cases, the human mind plays all kinds of tricks to alienate the average man. Including the thought that everyone is against you and is envying your achievements. Though most of the times this is just a presumption, there would be certain occasions when an envious individual can be observed without doubt. One such occasion is an outward resentment to any of your achievements, which include discouraging you from further pursuits. It is very difficult to catch an envious person as he always hides it from the envied, but on occasions, the emotion would over power his/her capacity to hide and cause the facial expression shown here:
A person who has been envious of others for a very long time, would have easily mastered the ability to hide it. Most of those who have actually taken the time to read this article are more likely to be envied by others because your mental attention span is greater, hence allowing you to focus more intently on a current objective, making it more likely for success in any field. Thus you will have envious beings following you and scrutinizing you. If you feel envied, simply ignore the envier and cut of all relations with him/her. The Indian Rishis (Sages) went to forests as they knew that whole villages would envy their success. The ancient greeks used to send their politicians to compulsory exile till the envy in the land has cooled down. Suggesting that a lack of contact helps deal with envy. They method of handling is up to you. T Good luck and I hope this article has got you thinking. However there is no panacea for this particular ill of society, and thanks to the capitalist mindset that envy breeds competition it is running amonk causing havoc.
Lots of love
Srinath S Sherma.
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