Envy

What is it about envy that turns us into monsters? Turn friends into enemies? Turn lovers into haters?

Just the other day over dinner, my cousin(J) told me that her sister (S) was always envious of my sister(A). She was envious that A always seemed to have everything. A travelled the world when she joined the airlines. After she left the airlines, she studied overseas and after that she met a nice Italian man and she settled down in Italy. Until today S remains envious of A. And due to this envy, S could never be as close to A as J is to me.

About two weeks back, the BF and I met his good friend, who is also a pilot in the same airlines for supper. Along with him he brought a Flight Attendant from the same airlines. She was relatively new to the country having just joined the airlines a few months before. Over supper, she lamented that she was considering leaving the airlines as she could no longer take the "abuse" she was suffering in the hands of the other crew. When the BF asked her what "abuse" she suffered, she said that on her SNY flight, she was made to stand all throughout (except for take off and landing of course) and she was not allowed to take any meal or toilet breaks. And frequently on flights, she would be ignored by the other crew in the team or reprimanded by them. When she was first introduced to the team, they "loudly" hushed that she had had plastic surgery and that everything about her was fake.

Here was this girl, standing before me, tall and beautiful, and detailing how her confidence was/is crushed by mean, envious colleagues. I told her I understand why they were mean to her, clearly because she is absolutely stunning. AND she is nice. A lethal combination for envious people.

When we see a beautiful woman, we hope and cross out fingers that she is DUMB.
When we hear of a intelligent lady, we hope that she is UGLY.
When we know of someone successful in their career, we wished that she was lonely at the top.
When we see someone drenched in riches, we wished that she was unhappy.
When we see a beautiful woman with a ugly man, we say " He must be rich."
When we see a dashingly handsome man with a ugly woman we say " She must be rich."

We never admire the beauty, intelligence, success, riches or true love that another person has.
We always envy and to make ourselves feel better, we step on the other and bring them down.

And what if this person was a friend? What if a friend was envious of you? I have friends who whisper behind my back just to bring me down. I have good friends who find faults with me just because they are envious of what I have.

You know what Muhamad Ali says?
"Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything. "

Unfortunately, sometimes we have friends whom we are better off without. And to illustrate a point, what better way than this:-And isn't that the truth?!