ENVY

Envy (from Latin invidia), as defined by Aristotle, is pain at the sight of another's good fortune, stirred by "those who have what we ought to have". It is to wish one had the same qualities, possessions, opportunities, etc as somebody else. It is also the feeling that one is less endowed or opportune because someone has such endowment in excess. Not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by their envy, that person may also wish to inflict misfortune on others, in forms of emotional abuse and violent acts of criminality.

Psychologists have classified envy into two - malicious envy and benign envy. Malicious envy is a sick force that ruins a person and his/her mind and causes the envious person to blindly want the "hero" to suffer. Conversely, benign envy is a type of positive motivational force that causes the person to aspire to be as good as the "hero"—but only if benign envy is used in a right way. According to researchers, benign envy can provide emulation, improvement motivation, positive thoughts about the other person, and admiration. This type of envy, if dealt with correctly, can positively affect a person's future by motivating them to be a better person and to succeed. However, the malicious envy is most prevalent in the world.

We live in the age of envy. Career envy, kitchen envy, children envy, food envy, physique envy, holiday envy. You name it, there’s an envy for it. With the advent of social media, says Ethan Kross, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies the impact of Facebook on our well-being, “envy is being taken to an extreme”. We are constantly bombarded by “Photo-shopped lives”, he says, “and that exerts a toll on us the likes of which we have never experienced in the history of our species. And it is not particularly pleasant.”

Clinical psychologist Rachel Andrew says she is seeing more and more envy in her consulting room, from people who “can’t achieve the lifestyle they want but which they see others have”. Our use of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, she says, amplifies this deeply disturbing psychological discord. “I think what social media has done is make everyone accessible for comparison,” she explains. “In the past, people might have just envied their neighbours, but now we can compare ourselves with everyone across the world.” She continues: “We all know that images can be filtered, that people are presenting the very best take on their lives.” We carry our envy amplification device around in our pockets, we sleep with it next to our pillows, and it tempts us 24 hours a day, the moment we wake up, even if it is the middle of the night. “What I notice is that most of us can intellectualize what we see on social media platforms – we know that these images and narratives that are presented aren’t real, we can talk about it and rationalise it – but on an emotional level, it’s still pushing buttons. If those images or narratives tap into what we aspire to, but what we don’t have, then it becomes very powerful.”

Envy becomes dangerous when it develops a feeling of hatred, animosity and bitterness for someone just for the reason of his endowment or the use or misuse to which it is deployed. This can manifest in the following three ways: firstly, a desire for exchange of position so that the possessor of the endowment is deprived of it for one to earn it. Also, it could be a strong feeling or wish that an endowed person be deprived his possession because of the realization that one does not possess the quality and capability to earn it. The third instance, is the conscious refusal to acknowledge the endowment of other people and consequently nursing deep-rooted hatred towards them just because one is less endowed. However, there are also well endowed people who show strong resentment for people under them just because such have shown great potentials to attain greater heights if given the opportunity to excel. 

None of these are worthy of emulating! They are dangerous not just for the envious themselves but the entire society because they are capable of compromising the peace and well being of the human race. Many of the wars, inter-communal clashes, killings, blood-letting and internecine conflicts of monumental dimension that the world has experienced or currently passing through are caused by envy. On individual level, envy has the potential of pushing man to commit murder, arson or even suicide because it breeds jealousy, unhealthy rivalry and deep-rooted animosity. The envious would not rest until he inflicts injury and other forms of wickedness on their victims.

We can conquer envy by being conscious of our strengths and weaknesses and being ready to let go willingly to a better qualified or opportune person without holding any grudges in our hearts. In another way, we should convert the inner energy exuding from the mind as a result of coveting either achievements or endowments of other people into healthy rivalry which can galvanize us to equal or higher achievements. Also,  we should try to change the way we habitually use social media. Think more carefully when you use social media actively, about what you are trying to say and why – and how the update of your online personas can contribute to this age of envy in which we live.

To cap it all, let's eschew envy, and if we must be envious, let it be malign! Lets make the world a better place!

References:

• en.wikipedia.org
• theguardian.com
• Conquering your enemy by Mustapha Adebayo

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