Excerpts from the book “the art of thinking clearly”
Of all the emotions envy is the most idiotic. Why? Because it is relatively easy to switch off.
Many things spark envy: ownership, status, health, youth, talent, popularity, beauty. It is often confused with jealousy because the physical reaction are identical.
The difference:
The subject of envy is a thing (status, money, health, etc).
The subject of jealousy is the behavior of a third person.
Envy needs two people.Jealousy, on the other hand, requires three:
Example:
Peter is jealous of sam because the beautiful girl next door rings him instead.
Peter envies sam because he has a great home and a car.
How do you curb envy? First, stop comparing yourself to others. Second, find your ‘circle of competence’ and fill it on your own.
