Envy (In the Light of Theosophy)
Envy is the bile on which we choke when we want something that belongs to someone else. It generally stems from competitiveness, emotional insecurity and situational dissatisfaction. Envy is corrosive, particularly because we deny being envious, and instead, try to expose unfairness and punish those who we think were unduly rewarded at our expense. We withhold support, sincere admiration and sometimes, even friendship, and damage another’s reputation in order to enhance our own. We become critics instead of becoming fans. However, the poison of envy can sometimes transform itself into something halfway constructive. At personal level, some people may be able to perform the mental magic of transforming envy into aspiration: “If she can do it, write it, sell it, dammit, I can, too!” writes Judith Sills, a Philadelphia-based clinical psychologist. (Psychology Today, September-October 2008)