“Envy is the most stupid of vices, for there is no single advantage to be gained from it”. Honore de Balzac
I love this quote. I totally agree with it. There is nothing to be gained from it. And as far from perfect as I am, I cannot think of a single instance where I’ve been jealous of anyone. Ever. I don’t care if you are richer. If you’re prettier. If you’re thinner. If you’re taller. If you’re smarter. If you have a handsome husband. Perfect kids.
It matters not if you have a larger house. A faster car. Nicer clothes. Whiter teeth. Deeper dimples. A smaller nose. Blonder hair. Bigger breasts. A tinier waist. More bling. More friends. Fewer bills. Less debt. More credit. A better job. A bigger office. More assistants.
Don’t expect me to worry if you have more talent. More opportunities. More recognition. More fans. More followers. More success.
Truly.
My eyes may be green, but I don’t have a jealous bone in my body.
Jealousy is not in my nature. Frankly I think it’s a waste of time. And effort. And energy.
Jealousy is negative.
Negative energy can make you sick. At least I think it can. I also believe it can block positive energy from finding you. Filling you. Surrounding you. It prevents good things from happening. It holds you prisoner in a dark, dank, ugly, fetid, miserable, lonely place. And who wants to live there?
Pas moi.
Friendships and relationships are often destroyed because of envy and jealousy. So are careers. It comes between lovers. And spouses. And families. Neighbours. And colleagues. Friends and associates.
All for what?
Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. No good ever comes of it. Never, ever.
We have to learn to be satisfied. Content. Happy. At peace. Ambition is okay. Desire is okay. Setting goals is good. But not to excess. Not when nothing is ever good enough. When enough is never enough. Not when the more you have, the more you want. Not when you covet everything everyone else has. Not when someone else’s success or happiness or possessions become a thorn in your side. And you’re filled with resentment. Bile. Toxins.
Bad karma. You end up with bad karma.
Bad, bad.
Walk away. Turn the other cheek. Don’t give in. Don’t succumb. Fight it. Beat it back. Slay that green-eyed monster. Get it before it gets you. Destroy it. Defeat it. Kill it dead.
Dead, dead, dead.
Gone.
Buried.
Somehow I’m not sure this is what Michelle was looking for when she suggested, in Wednesday’s WordPress Daily Prompt, we write about the last time we were really jealous of someone. Well, what can I say? There are two sides to every story. This is mine.
Well put.
Thank you.
My sentiments too!
I’m happy when good things happen to people I like.
even if I don’t like them – I still don’t envy them!
I definitely believe in Karma –
Me too!
So true! Lost one of my “dear” friends this way. She liked me better when bad things happened to me. Took me a long time to figure it out. Gone!
Awful. Some friend. What’s that expression? With friends like that who needs enemies?
I like your story a lot better!
Thanks you!
Truth! It’s pointless to covet and want what others have. Be happy with what you’ve got.
Yes. And enjoy what you have. If you are always jealous of others you don’t enjoy what you have. Which is sad.
Right now I am enjoying sitting at the hair salon. I am not jealous that Bruce is building cabinets in our dining room. Lol. See, I have a good healthy perspective!
You certainly do! 🙂
I agree with you totally, envy and jealousy give nothing, however they do take so much away… I fight the feeling, when I feel something that resembles i crumble it down to mini pieces by analyzing it and finding its roots and why i don’t have that something i’m desiring, it turns out that it’s mostly because i have not done my best to achieve it with that i drain the terrible feeling and it becomes an aha moment! 🙂 read you soon, Alexandra
I love aha moments. Thanks.
Hope Oprah doesn’t have the rights to that expression? Jajaja
Haha! Wouldn’t be surprised if she did 🙂
🙂 ™
Lol! Good one. Thanks for the smile.
It helps not to have a sibling, younger siblings often suffer from it, almost naturally because an older child is often the first to experience new things. My son suffers from this even when my daughter lies next to me in bed, even though he receives more hugs than her by far because he’s always giving them and asking for them. Teaching a child not to be jealous isn’t so easy. 🙂
I’ll bet it’s not. I’m an only child. Maybe that’s why I feel the way I do.
I am sure you would be exactly the same as you are – you were meant to be as you are! But it is an interesting theory, sibling rivalry. I’m the eldest in all my extended families and I’m not the jealous type at all, but I am sure that position in a family has an influence, every eldest child was also an only child for a while.
I’ve never thought of it that way before, but of course every ‘oldest’ has been an ‘only’. I can understand how that might result in some resentment against the interloper.
I loved this post as it captured what I feel…but so much better! I think (the lack of) jealousy relates to living your life without regrets. Enjoy what you have, if you don’t like what you have, do what you need to change it and don’t worry about the rest of the world…
Exactly. And I do live my life without regrets. Obviously so do you.
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Thanks for the shout out!!