Two paths when jealous: motivation or envy.
Jealousy – Insecurity over possessions.
Envy - Lack of possessions compared to someone else.
Jealousy and Envy are two different things often used interchangeably, yet differences are present. The former is the fear one has over possessions or traits they have, while the latter tends to be the disgust one has over lack of possessions they have in comparison to someone else. This difference represents a fine line of why I believe jealousy is not always a bad thing, but envy always is.
When a person is jealous, they fear what they have isn’t good enough, compared to someone else. In this case, the jealous person is the subject of their own unhappiness. If they were to realise this, they are then brought to a crossroad: “Do I improve my status and do better in order to get what I believe it is I deserve?” or “It’s not my fault, this is the way the cards were dealt.” The jealous person has a choice in order to improve and continue to wallow in self-pity. Often jealousy can be a great motivator for a person and while this self-improvement doesn’t come from the most positive place, the improvements the person gains can leave them in a much better state. They can improve and ascend as a person and realise their previous mistakes of jealousy.
However, if our jealous person decides not to improve and continues to wallow in their self-pity and begin playing the “Blame game”, the situation shifts from jealousy to envy. Being envious puts the ego of our afflicted person on a higher pedestal than it should be on. No longer can they realise that their unhappiness is due to their own perceptions, but rather it has been caused by someone else. It is not the jealous man that attacks the person they wish they could be, but rather the self-centred envious man who believes the world treats him unfairly. Here we can then agree where the fourth quote states that both parties are victims, but only when jealousy evolves to envy. Taking the third quote into consideration, it states that iron is eaten away by rust. This process is slow to occur, much like one’s decent from happiness, to jealousy, to envy. And often like the process of oxidation, it is hard to reverse when it inevitably happens.
It is easy to feel jealous, we are in a world where people constantly compare themselves to others, where vanity is more prized than one’s happiness. Comparisons can range from how one looks, to what phone someone uses, to what meal has been ordered. Most people want to be just like everyone else, and due to this escaping conformity is somehow looked at negatively. People must see that constant comparisons to others flows like poison, which if not handled swiftly and carefully, can lead to envy, sometimes harbouring fatal consequences. Everyone has their own strengths, and so we should play into them, and sek help from others when it comes to our own weaknesses. We are a social species and should start acting like one.