The Seven Deadly Sins " ENVY "
Traditional name: ENVY
Better known today as: Entitlement
Everybody knows how miserable we make ourselves when we compare ourselves unfavorably to others. Perhaps we learn to do this when our parents try to influence our behavior by making comparisons with k**s that they want us to be like. And it's human nature to want what others have, especially when we consider ourselves better-qualified and more deserving.
But in today's egalitarian times, envy has a more subtle face. I think that most Americans will tell you that much of what's wrong with our country comes from people demanding things for which they are not willing to work.
Genuine oppression and injustice still exist, and we do not have to accept this. And accidents of birth place one person in a more favorable position than another. But our world is far more full of opportunity than ever before. Today's street losers, and even "cultures" (I won't say which ones), define themselves in terms of resentments and past injustices rather than work and achievements. And the rest of the world is right to despise this.
Envy is always painful (unlike pride), and it's caused many people to do horrible things... and even to be pleased that they have done so.
If I have the grace to rejoice in somebody else's achievement or good fortune as well as my own, I'll be far happier. Or the examples of others can spur me on to achieve by my own well-placed efforts. If I'm still envious, I can try simply passing out genuine compliments. This is what I've found most helpful.
Better known today as: Entitlement
Everybody knows how miserable we make ourselves when we compare ourselves unfavorably to others. Perhaps we learn to do this when our parents try to influence our behavior by making comparisons with k**s that they want us to be like. And it's human nature to want what others have, especially when we consider ourselves better-qualified and more deserving.
But in today's egalitarian times, envy has a more subtle face. I think that most Americans will tell you that much of what's wrong with our country comes from people demanding things for which they are not willing to work.
Genuine oppression and injustice still exist, and we do not have to accept this. And accidents of birth place one person in a more favorable position than another. But our world is far more full of opportunity than ever before. Today's street losers, and even "cultures" (I won't say which ones), define themselves in terms of resentments and past injustices rather than work and achievements. And the rest of the world is right to despise this.
Envy is always painful (unlike pride), and it's caused many people to do horrible things... and even to be pleased that they have done so.
If I have the grace to rejoice in somebody else's achievement or good fortune as well as my own, I'll be far happier. Or the examples of others can spur me on to achieve by my own well-placed efforts. If I'm still envious, I can try simply passing out genuine compliments. This is what I've found most helpful.
12 years ago
