“The man who stands above his fellows must expect to be the target for the envious arrows of their inferiority. It is part of the price he must pay for his advance. One of the most detestable characters in all literature is Iago. Envious of the promotion of Cassio above his head, he hated Othello. His was one of those low natures that become absorbed in sustaining his dignity, talking of “preserving his honor,”—forgetting it has so long been dead that even embalming could not preserve it. Day by day Iago dropped his poison; day by day did subtle resentment and studied vengeance distill the poison of distrust and suspicion into more powerfully insidious doses. With a mind wonderfully concentrated by the blackness of his purpose, he wove a network of circumstantial evidence around the pure-hearted Desdemona, and then murdered her vicariously, by the hand of Othello. Her very simplicity, confidence, innocence and artlessness made Desdemona the easier mark for the diabolic tactics of Iago.
Iago still lives in the hearts of thousands, who have all his despicable meanness without his cleverness. The constant dropping of their lying words of malice and envy have in too many instances at last worn away the noble reputations of their superiors. To sustain ourselves in our own hasty judgments we sometimes say, as we listen, and accept without investigation, the words of these modern Iagoes: “Well, where there is so much smoke, there must be some fire.” Yes, but the fire may be only the fire of malice, the incendiary firing of the reputation of another by the lighted torch of envy, thrown into the innocent facts of a life of superiority.” ~ William George Jordan
If you have ever excelled in any area of your life, you’ve likely come in contact with that initially surprising and always disturbing reaction to a job well-done called “envy.” As you scan the crowd cheering for your victory you see one or two evil-eyed folks, their hearts filled with covetousness that will drive them to malice if they fail to resolve their underlying sense of inferiority. No matter how many times you see it, you ask yourself, “why must people insist upon seeing the victory of another as their personal loss?”
Unchecked envy spins itself into resentment. Often described as a love-hate relationship, it is really more of a hate-hate relationship that begins with self-loathing at some level and moves outward. From resentment springs a thousand ugly things; chief among them is vengeance. It is an ugly cycle that destroys the lives of those thus consumed while taking the lives of innocent men and women for no reason at all.
Gregory Hake 
He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves:
One for his enemy and one for himself.
Chinese Proverb
It is really good to know mercy and it is even better to extend it.
This post is great and I still love it!
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Envy must come from a sense of separateness. Finding yourself disconnected from the world around you prevents equal acknowledgement and celebration of the brilliance that shines when people lose self-importance and show excellence in things both great and small. there’s no humiliation in true humility; displays of bravado and envy typically arise from a shaky identity where the recognition of the brilliance within has not been realized yet more evident in others, and then joins with a pre-existing arrogant attittude.True humility simply tips the hat and says “job well done mate!”
So, doing away with arrogance and aligning with your true identity sound like a good place to start to me. That’s what has shifted my awareness of things for the better.
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I won’t say envy isn’t something I haven’t ever felt, but thankfully, it hasn’t been a very common experience. To answer your question in this post about how I have dealt with envy when it has reared its ugly head… If I recognize that it’s there, I immediately put on the brakes! It’s a disgusting feeling to have and to observe and I would describe it as one of THE most destructive emotions that we can have. I’ve always thought that you can’t compare the life of one person to another and that includes the details of their life. We have no idea what another person is dealing with and to be envious of their life is akin to hating them, judging them and yourself and totally disregarding your own life.
It’s much easier (and more fun) to enjoy seeing the fruits of success in someone else’s life and being thankful for your own.
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It is a sad thing when envy destroys friendships, turns hearts to stone and kills what would otherwise have been an expression of greatness through another. I look to rise above, alert to the dangers involved with a heart filled with envy, but unwilling to host it in myself or others. This is worse than cancer in the body of humanity, your posts are so helpful in bringing light to a very dark condition. Thanks
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Great follow up, excited for this series. Timely and valuable!
Was your top quote another Jordan?
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It was. Just added his name. Thanks for pointing it out. Not much has changed in the last 100 years when you look at human nature from this perspective. I think we can grow beyond where we’ve been!
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The best way I know how to eshew envy would be through appreciating what one has at depth.
Regardless of what it looks like on the outside, I always appreciate first and foremost the tremendous blessing for being alive and provided the opportunity to learn and grow.
Something I have also learned along the way is as we celebrate others victory, we too share in that fulfillment, and more, for giving is far more rewarding that getting!
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Great points Joshua!
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I think anyone who aspires to do anything out of the ordinary has had envy or jealousy directed at them. It is a terrible thing, but the case of Iago is exceptionally terrible because of the trust that Othello had for him. This kind of jealousy is unavoidable, and the only real cure is to just live your life without fear of envious reprisal. It will happen if you aspire to live an uncommon life. But also remember, don’t immediately jump on the bandwagon when you hear something bad about someone else. It might just be an envious Iago, maliciously attacking from the shadows.
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Be diligent with the latter and the former comes naturally.
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Surely envy and jealousy lead the list of morbid motivations that sieze human hearts and drive terribly destructive thoughts and actions. Generosity, balance, wisdom, decency, kindness, charity…all are swallowed in the black vortex of concentrated self-concern that feeds, seemingly, on itself. Of course such cancerous concerns do find lots of company too, and we see masses of people galvanized by concerns for vengeance (often portrayed as ‘justice!’)
Whenever such feelings flutter at the rim of one’s consciousness there are definite and immediate steps to be taken. Quite literally, to become subject to such feelings, to ‘buy’ them (and there is always a sales job involved, internal or external) can be to undo one’s whole life. This is a firm and clear “No. I will not give my life force to this under any circumstance. I will remain radiant, forgiving as may be necessary, and I will not buy this deadly lie.”
This subject is so well presented and valuably exposed today!
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My mother always said envy is when you are counting someone else’s blessings … But her best one was- envy makes people believe that if your neighbor breaks their leg it will make you walk better!
Yup it makes you stupid!!
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Envy is the leading career killer. Associates and even sometimes clients will tolerate a learning curve but if envious remarks about competitors come up, that is usually a deal breaker. Most intelligent professionals see right through the attempt to bad mouth the competition as a selling method. Most realize too that those who employ that business strategy may do it to them in time. Who wants a business relationship or actually any with someone where from the start you have to watch your back.
Business 101!
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I’ve witnessed both and it always surprises me. I find envy usually comes from those that are so mired in shame about their own lives that the only way to feel “on top” is to try and push others down. My answer to them is I completely ignore their hateful bleating. Those are the people I have no problem leaving behind. Where I will step in is when It is children that are involved in this death spiral. With young people the kiss of death begins with comparison. Parents and teachers can sometimes unwittingly feed this green eyed monster by measuring the success of one child to another, then they’ve compounded poor performance with shame and it can help cultivate envy. In my estimation that is like dooming the child to a life of hell. Hate is a nasty house to live in.
Great series Gregg, glad you brought more of George Jordan’s work to consider, thanks.
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