I want in this article to summarize a few points that Francis Bacon makes in his essay on Envy. There is a link to the full essay at the end of this article. Please read the original essay. It is heavy going but it is less than 5 pages and Francis Bacon understood human nature. If you want to safeguard yourself against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to whatever extent possible then a knowledge of human nature is essential. Get a copy of the book from (The Essays by Francis Bacon) and really study it (especially if you are young).
So here are the points that I wish to summarise:
- The Scriptures call envy the evil eye and the astrologers call the evil influences of the stars evil aspects. This is also part of Indian folk wisdom. You must have heard the Hindi phrase: Buri nazar waaley tera muh kaala. People everywhere want to guard themselves against envious people.
- Both love and envy fascinate and bewitch. They create vehement wishes and lend themselves to imaginations and suggestions (self deception).
- They are very easily aroused especially upon the presence of the envied (or loved) object.
- Francis Bacon explains what persons are most apt to envy and what persons are most likely to be envied themselves. If you are in any one of these categories then be on your guard. Envy harms both the envier and the envied.
- Of all the affections (i.e emotions) envy is the most importunate and continual. There is a Latin saying which goes: Envy keeps no holidays.
- Both love and envy make a man pine, which other affections do not because they are not that continual. In the play by Shakespeare Cassius is described by Julius Caesar as having a lean and hungry look. Further the play says: “He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.” So we have an endorsement of the fact that envy is dangerous by the master (playwriter) himself.
- Francis Bacon calls envy the vilest affection and the most depraved and being so says that envy is the proper attribute of the devil. I have some respect for the character of Satan as he is portrayed by John Milton as it is universally acknowledged that Satan possessed all the virtues except those of wisdom and charity (love). But the lack of wisdom and charity, manifesting as envy, was enough to destroy Satan’s life. Let us not make the same mistake.
For my part I have suffered from envy myself, by being both the envier and the envied. I was prone to envy when I was young and only matured as I grew older. I suppose I have this in common with all humanity (that I have suffered from envy). Thanks to my reading of books written by mature people I was able to identify my mistakes and correct them.
Here is the link to Francis Bacon’s essay on Envy available online
In my next article I would like to explain what the Hindu religious epic, The Mahabharata, says about envy.
I’ll end here. Please explore this site for more articles on Self Help, Spirituality and Politics. If you would like to contact me the link is below.
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