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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably

Envy

Envy is a pointless emotion. Philosopher Emmanuel Kant said: Envy is the tendency to view the success of others with distress even when it does not detract from one’s own. A lot of what upsets us about the behaviour of others is to do with the closeness that their lives relate to ours. A person we know, who is of perhaps the same age and background, but who is a lot more successful than us in some way – say financially, is likely to drive us mad with envy, whereas someone we hear about but whom we’ve never met, will probably affect us much less. Why? Because someone we are not close to is not seen as a rival. We just don’t like the thought of someone we know doing better than us. A preferable attitude is to study the success of others and learn from it. Can I view the success of others positively?

Envy can turn into resentment if not addressed. I must first ask myself if my feelings of envy are based on fact or simply assumptions. It may well be that, if I take the trouble to understand how another person achieved their perceived success, I might question whether it was worth the effort. Again, if I analyse their situation and decide that their success is admirable and beneficial, I may decide to use that person as a role model so as to enhance my own wellbeing. That is a much more positive approach. Today I ask to free myself from envy.