Sin of the day: Envy

Envy is the jaded little brother of admiration. Most regard envy as the desire for the material wealth of another, though I would take that somewhat limited view to be merely particularly insidious greed.

Envy is the only sin which is reliant on relationships and society for its existence; one could imagine a man trapped on an island with amnesia feeling all the sins except for envy - and how could he? There has to be a second person for there to be jealousy in the first place.

Anyone who is truly envious or jealous tends to be cynical, angry, petty and not a little pathetic. They see traits in others that they wish for themselves, and instead of attempting to improve their identity, they simply become hostile to those who are like that. The envious enjoy cruelty and cannot understand the selfless, the confident and the generous.

Kindness is the heavenly virtue accompanying envy, and is sadly constantly undervalued by people as a quality in people. The kind will always find themselves surrounded by true friends, as they always make the world a happier place.

I mentioned at the start of the post that envy was based on relationships, and while any person's failings are their responsibility and their burden, the fact that others are involved means that they can be "healed" by from an external source. However, no one will ever change into a better man without wanting it.

I try to take joy in the successes of my friends and family, and tolerate the trivial accomplishments of people I hate. I shall attempt to diminish my schauden-fraude, but no promises.

To put envy another way: it is admiration without the desire to be like the admired, and instead a desire for them to be less than they are.