Envy
Etymology
Middle English envie, from Anglo-French, from Latin invidia, from invidus envious, from invidēre to look askance at, envy, from in- + vidēre to see
- Date: 13th century
Definitions
81 : painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage
- 2 obsolete : malice
- 3 : an object of envious notice or feeling <his new car made him the envy of his friends>
Description
Envy (also called invidiousness) is best defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's (perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."
Envy can also derive from a sense of lowself-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been he or she who had the desired object.
Bertrand Russell said envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. It is a universal and most unfortunate aspect of human nature because not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by his envy, but also wishes to inflict misfortune on others. Although envy is generally seen as something negative, Russell also believed that envy was a driving force behind the movement towards democracy and must be endured in order to achieve a more just [[Society|social system].
Quote
Envy implies a lack within yourself that you perceive as being filled in the life of some other person. It is an illusion because it does not see the symmetry and beauty, the creative potential, and spiritual status of your true self, of your God given personality. Envy implies a certain sense of injustice in the universe, that somehow you were not given some thing or some status, some aspect of life that you should have had. In a sense,it is an implicit criticism of God. It also is based on the false supposition that the outer world provides happiness and adds to the essential worth of an individual's soul. - Aaron
