envy

Envy is an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it.”^[1] At the core of envy seems to be an upward social comparison, that threatens a person's self-esteem: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. However, what is envied could also be something that is only of personal importance to the envier, even if what the other person has is of little significance in his or her society, or even seen as a sign of inferior status. If the other person is perceived to be similar as the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been him or her who had the desired object. ^[2][3].

In some cultures, envy is often associated with the color green, as in "green with envy". The phrase "green-eyed monster" refers to an individual whose current actions appear motivated by envy. This is based on a line from Shakespeare's Othello.

Envy in religion

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins in the Catholic tradition, and is specifically mentioned in the Book of Proverbs. It is considered sinful because envious people ignore their own blessings, and focus on others' status rather than their own spiritual growth.

Envy is often confused with the Deadly Sin of covetousness, or greed, a desire for material wealth (which may or may not belong to others). Envy in its covetous form is forbidden by the Ten Commandments in the Bible.

Envy is also strictly forbidden in Islam. One should be happy with what he or she has instead of interfering with others.

Envy in behavior

Hatred is often envy in disguise. Envy knows no gratitude. Envy cannot be pacified. These statements describe a few of Envy's "traits".

Envy is characterized by the Machiavellian machinations of the internally weak, self-loathing, unduly proud and peasant minded. Enviers cross all social, economic, educational and professional boundaries. Envy is found among the greats in history, laborers, elite, siblings, co-workers, "friends", individuals, academia, groups, peoples and nations.

Biblical examples demonstrate Envy’s deceptive, merciless, and malignant personality. Centuries later, secular scholars and philosophers (e.g., Aristotle and Plato) discovered Envy's true nature the will to completely destroy the envied. Due to Envy’s deeply deceptive nature, too often the envied is unaware of being envied; and so, are at a genuine loss as to why a person or group would vent "inexplicable" cruelty on them. Exacerbating matters, the cruelty is regularly denied directly and indirectly by the envier. This renders witnesses to the envy dynamic ignorant to the truth as well.

Enviers often seize the very questioning of their actions to malign the envied; thereby laying the foundation for wider, subtle and blatant, misrepresentation, accusation, and attacks upon the reasoning faculties and character of the envied. The envier’s intent is always to destroy the envied, to the envier’s comfort and delight, since the envied inadvertently aggravates the enviers deepest inferiority feelings.

Tragically, the envied who doesn’t realize Envy’s nature, or that they are being envied (most don't) is at huge risk for permanent loss and devastation since envy is parent to history’s greatest atrocities and scapegoating.

Hiromu Arakawa, creator of the manga/anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, has captured this nature and has applied it into her character Envy, one of the seven homunculi who are all named after a deadly sin.

Examples: Lust, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Wrath

Biblical Examples

General references: (Job 5:2,3; Psalms 37:1,7;49:16;73:3,17-20;112:10) Cain, of Abel (Genesis 4:4-8) [Murder] Philistines, of Isaac (Genesis 26:14) [Theft, resentment] Leah, of Rachel (Genesis 30:15) [Hatred, resentment, competition] Laban's sons, of Jacob (Genesis 31:1) [Hatred of success] Joseph's brethren, Joseph (Genesis 37:4-11,19,20; Acts 7:9) [Envies favor, will to murder, lie, sabotage success, destroy innocent] Miriam and Aaron, of Moses (Numbers 12:1-10) [Pride, accusation] Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, of Moses (Numbers 16:3; Psalms 106:16-18) [Wide slandering, criticism, fomenting hostilities based on falsehoods, recruiting others against the envied] King Saul, of King David (1 Samuel 18:8,9,29;20:31) [Ingratitude, hatred, murder] Haman, of Mordecai (Esther 5:13) [Wholesale slander, fomenting violence and hatred to envied's destruction] The princes of Babylon, of Daniel (Daniel 6:4) [Attempts to destroy professionally, personally, by plot, undermining, sabotage, and deception]

Source: Bible Gateway *emphasis added

Jesus was handed over to Pilate out of envy (Matthew 27:18)

Also, The story of Naboth's Vineyard and the actions of King Ahab (1 Kings 21) and the desire of Israel to be 'like the nations around them' in 1 Samuel 8 are significant incidents Finally, Solomon wrote: "And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor." (Ecclesiastes 4:4 NIV)

==http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/button_bold Bold textEnvy and a sense of injustice==

There is a possibility and/or theory that states of envy can mutate into a sense of concern for maintaining justice; though this is assumed to be for a sense of justice that only surrounds ones self. There is no evidence of such a sense of injustice being for the concern of others, but no proof of it not being so either since this is a mutated emotion we are talking about. It is often said by the individuals that are envious of another (particularly children) "That's not fair!" when someone else has something that they wish they could have. Curiously, people do not tend to think of justice to the other being of priority but instead only think of the fact that the other person is being selfish as priority (such priority in its self could be thought of unjust). It is not strictly true that envy is selfish in all cases, since it can be purely the need to have what the other person has due to a true neBold texted and no malice in this case would be directed at the other who is envied; though one has to take caution that they could be malicious and selfish.

Envy and Justice