Capital Sin of Envy

  • Thread starter Thread starter Conradine
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Conradine

Guest
From Wikipedia’s definition: Envy (from Latin invidia) is an emotion which “occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it”.

It’s kinda embarassing, but between all the seven capital sins, it’s the one I can’t intellectually grasp. Yes, I aknowledge that it exist, but in an abstract way. I know that many people feel the desire to see other people ( not enemies: simply people that possess the desired item or quality ) losing the thing they desire, but I don’t understand… why.

I can understand the desire of witnessing an enemy losing something. This is the desire of revenge. It’s Wrath.
I can understand the desire of taking something that does not belong to you. This is Greed.

But I can’t understand why should a person wish that another ( not an enemy or a rival, not someone that will grant an advantage to you if damaged ) lose something, just for the sake of it. I mean, what pleasure or advantage does it brings?

In my opinion, Envy is… utterly irrational. It’s a behiavour I find hard to understand.

Thoughts about that?
 
It must be part of our fallen nature. There is an old joke about two peasants, Boris and Ivan. Boris had a goat, but Ivan had none. One day, Ivan found a lamp. He rubbed it, and a genie appeared. The genie told him he would grant him one wish. Ivan replied, “I want Boris’ goat to die.”

But it is even worse than that. We are willing to hurt ourselves in the process of hurting others. This is illustrated by the experiment in “Losers Take All” by Jill Niemark.
“How strong is envy? New research from a top economist provides a startling answer. … We were shocked by how much people were willing to hurt themselves to burn other people’s money, …”
Click to expand...
I am convinced that the progressive tax system was sold using this desire to hurt others more fortunate than the average.
 
We are willing to hurt ourselves in the process of hurting others.
Click to expand...
This is…
blasphemy, for my spiritual path.
It’s a shame that stupidity is not painful.

Well, not IMMEDIATELY painful, at least.
 
Conradine said:
This is…
blasphemy, for my spiritual path.
It’s a shame that stupidity is not painful.

Well, not IMMEDIATELY painful, at least.
Click to expand...
What in the world is your purpose of being on a Catholic forum?
 
Envy is basically “misery loves company.”

If I can’t have something, them you shouldn’t either. That’s the crux of envy.
 
Regina7 said:
Envy is basically “misery loves company.”

If I can’t have something, them you shouldn’t either. That’s the crux of envy.
Click to expand...
You’ve never heard of, “Not only must I succeed, but others must fail.”?
 
unstoppable_II said:
You’ve never heard of, “Not only must I succeed, but others must fail.”?
Click to expand...
Sure, but I think a lot of envy is wanting something we don’t have…and may never have. Many people I know who are envious do nothing to change their circumstance…they just complain.
 
Regina7 said:
Sure, but I think a lot of envy is wanting something we don’t have…and may never have. Many people I know who are envious do nothing to change their circumstance…they just complain.
Click to expand...
That’s true, but there is more to envy than wanting what others have.
 
What in the world is your purpose of being on a Catholic forum?
Click to expand...
I meant that self harm in order to hurt another is blasphemy for my spiritual path, and a supreme act of stupidity. I was vehemently agreeing with Unstoppable II.

Mabye I have built the proposition not correctly so the meaning was ambiguous. Sorry, english is not my native language.
If I can’t have something, them you shouldn’t either. That’s the crux of envy.
Click to expand...
I abstractly understend, but I never felt that emotion.
 
The point that I fail to understand is the concern, in abstract, with the other having that thing the envious desire.

In short: if you are hungry, even if all people in the world starve, you are still hungry. It would brings him no solace, no gain, no benefit at all if others lose what they have.

I mean, stealing has a logic:

I want → I steal → I have

But what’s the point in wishing the others losing something?

I want - > he loses → I still want

It’s absurd. It’s not even egoism.
 
Conradine said:
I meant that self harm in order to hurt another is blasphemy for my spiritual path, and a supreme act of stupidity. I was vehemently agreeing with Unstoppable II.

Mabye I have built the proposition not correctly so the meaning was ambiguous. Sorry, english is not my .
Click to expand...
I apologize. I completely misunderstood your original point.

I agree- hurting oneself to hurt another is preposterous.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top