Why so serious? This question cuts to the heart of how we approach the complex emotion of envy. Too often, we dismiss envy as a trivial feeling, but its impact on our relationships and our own well-being is profound and far-reaching.
Many people harbor thoughts about envy and attitudes toward others that stem from a dangerous assumption: the belief that having the privilege to learn and acquire knowledge gives them the right to treat others poorly. They narrow down their fellow human beings and treat them with disrespect simply because they had access to educational opportunities that others could only dream of.
This attitude reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what privilege truly means and how it should be used.
Here's the thing: if you want to indulge in envy and show those negative attitudes, look into a mirror and direct them at yourself. You are competing with your own self, not with others. If you don't use your privileges to become a better human being, what purpose do those privileges serve?
The most important question to answer is: why does it matter?
I'm glad I can answer this question. Here is the simplest yet most catastrophic solution: the person you represent—yourself—is never what you always imagined if you cannot respect what you have.
When we fail to appreciate our own blessings, we lose sight of who we truly are and who we could become. We become trapped in a cycle of comparison and dissatisfaction that prevents us from living authentically.
One of the most effective ways to break this cycle is to start treating people better. Do it now, before it's too late to become the wise person you're capable of being rather than remaining the person you currently are.
The reality is that you're not competing with others—you're competing with yourself. Every day presents an opportunity to become a better version of who you were yesterday. When you focus on this internal competition, you begin to see others not as threats or objects of comparison, but as fellow travelers on the journey of life.
Respecting what you have doesn't mean becoming complacent or settling for less. It means recognizing the value of your current circumstances while working to improve them. It means understanding that your privileges come with responsibilities—responsibilities to use them wisely and to help others who may not have the same opportunities.
Start treating people better today. Not because they deserve it (though they do), but because you deserve to be the kind of person who treats others with respect and dignity. Not because it will make you popular or successful, but because it will make you whole.
Envy is a serious emotion that deserves serious attention. But the solution isn't to suppress it or ignore it—it's to transform it into motivation for self-improvement and compassion for others.
When you stop competing with others and start competing with yourself, when you stop treating people as objects of comparison and start treating them as fellow human beings, you begin to understand what it truly means to be wise.
And wisdom, after all, is what those privileges were meant to help you achieve.