I want to write two maybe three articles on the subject of envy.
I have suffered as a result of envy – when I was young I was (definitely because of my genes) something of a potential genius. But I was also a troubled youngster who behaved in eccentric ways. I have every wish to let sleeping dogs lie but as a result of the two reasons above (when I was in school) I was regarded as a freak of nature, a missing link in the evolution of mankind and as Adolf Hitler in the making.
People fear that which they can’t understand. Napoleon also suffered from harassment when he was doing his education. I have something in common with one of the greatest men of action in the history of civilization. There can be no doubt that the ill treatment that Napoleon suffered in his youth drove his ambition and changed the history of the world.
But everyone suffers as a result to envy – either as the envied or the envier.
Bertrand Russell tells the following imaginary story in The Conquest of Happiness (I cannot recommend that book strongly enough. It shaped my character for better or for worse):
All peacocks are persuaded that their tail is the finest in existence and do not compare themselves with others. Now suppose peacocks got into the habit of comparing themselves with others and were told that it was a sin to have a good opinion of themselves. Now whenever such an unduly modest peacock saw another bird with a magnificent tail he would be tempted to lay a trap and have him convicted of unpeacocky behaviour. Gradually he would establish the principle that peacocks with especially fine tails are almost always wicked and after doing so he would get all birds with especially fine tails put to death an in the end a really splendid tail would only be a dim memory of the past. Such according to Bertrand Russell is the victory of envy masquerading as morality.
For this reason Russell recommends bringing up a boy to think himself a fine fellow. He also recommends the habit of not comparing yourself with others and enjoying life as best you can without being troubled by the fact that there are others who are more fortunate. There is no end to it if you fall into that trap.
The Mahabharat and the war of Kurukshetra would not have happened had it not been for the envy which Duryodhana felt for his more accomplished and virtuous cousins. I will have more to say on this in a future article.
We need to live with the fact that in India there is a great amount of envy. This is due to democracy and the levelling of society which took place as a result of the ideals of the founding fathers of the nation (primarily I suppose Mahatma Gandhi). Earlier India recognised the caste system and took it seriously (I suppose almost everyone still takes it seriously but it does not have legal or official sanction). As a result people who were only comparing themselves with people in their own caste. Now they compare themselves with all other Indians of any caste. Envy plays a large role in democracy. There are sound idealistic reasons why democracy is the best system of governance (according to Russell and I am happy to believe him). But idealistic reasons are not enough to cause great changes; when great changes occur the theories which justify them are always a camouflage for passion. And the passion that has given driving force to democratic theories is undoubtedly the passion of envy.
I will have more to say on this very interesting topic (envy) but in future articles.
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