I am almost 54 years old and sometimes I feel like a two and half year old saying, "I want, I want, its mine, I want it." When will I grow out of it, when will I mature, when will I be content, when will I learn?
The things I want aren't necessary and sometimes aren't even objects. I want decent affordable portable medical insurance so I'm not tied to my current job. I want a great backyard patio without mosquitos or overuse of chemicals, I want a canoe, I want more books, I want more time to read books, I want more people with whom to talk about books,I want new bedding, I want a new refrigerator with an ice-maker, I want to be debt free, I want, I want, I want.....
And then I start seeing what other people have and I want even more. This person's house is always clean and organized, this person has the library of my dreams, this person has a houseboat, this person got a huge bonus at work, this person has travelled so much more than me.. I want, I want, I want......
Aristotle says, "Envy is pain at the good fortune of others."
In the book, The Geography of Bliss, the writer, Joseph Epstein, is quoted from his writing on envy as saying, "Once unleashed, envy tends to diminish all in whom it takes possession."
And the Bible, in Proverbs 14:30, "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh but envy makes the bones rot."
Strong words.
Envy. It is a beast that lurks within and must be guarded against. I know better. I have no excuse.
2 comments:
Yes - I know what you mean. You would think that with what we see and know we would be content.
Jean L
It's been a year, Wendy..... Writer's block?
Jean L
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