Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

Envy -- A Way OUT
“Love, and all doors will open up to you. So stop asking yourself why you are unhappy,
why you suffer so many setbacks … The reason is simply that you have no Love. If you
had Love, nothing would resist you, because when you have Love it is impossible to stand
there – yearning for everything while doing nothing.” ~ inspired by Omraam Aivanhov
“Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth. Each
of us has something to give to others that no one else can.”
~ inspired by Elizabeth O’Connor
“To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to
care with such generosity of heart that your Love is still a dear possession in the face of
absence or unkindness … These are the gifts which money cannot buy.”
~ inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson
Traditional schools of thought have championed various methods of defeating envy –
regularly “counting your blessings”, consistently praising yourself, and even finding
ways to partially satisfy your envy’s cravings. There is only one fundamental problem
with these methods … they simply do not work.
This is not to say that they are “bad” or “useless” practices, of course. It can be a
humbling experience to remember the good things with which you have been blessed, it
can be uplifting to remember your own positive qualities, and it can be enjoyable to at
least partially satisfy your own goals & dreams.
And yet, each and every one of these methods is essentially self-centered in its focus, and
as such inevitably strengthens the same ego that encouraged you to be envious of others
in the first place. You might find temporary relief from your dis-ease through these
means, and yet they will not provide you with the lasting, deep-seated solace you seek.
Remembering your blessings inevitably leads to you protecting them and desiring more,
remembering your “good traits” inevitably leads you to feel entitled to having more of
“the good life”, and partially satisfying any craving only leads to you inevitably wanting
more & more & more of the same.
Indeed, it is our primal nature to keep searching for things “better” — the nicer house, the
more fulfilling job, the shinier car, the bigger bank account; always something newer …
always something else … always something more. And the problem is – there is always
something “better” right there for the striving.
Especially in western, industrialized nations, there is an overflow of alternatives to every
commodity. Many might be out of our reach, and yet they are not so far removed from us
that we cannot yearn to someday have them – and envy others who already do.
And so how in the world can we free ourSelves from this prison of want? How can we
release our envy in a way that brings real & lasting Peace into our lives?
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