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Envy can be a force for good.
When someone feels envious, it can motivate them to reach greater heights and often, is a catalyst for great achievements.
While we see envy as a negative trait, it is not inherently so. It can be harnessed towards positivity.
The challenge we face when dealing with envy is channeling jealousy in the right direction.
What is the turning point? What is the juncture that brands envy as a trail to destruction or as a springboard to achievements?
Envy is a problem when we are blind to our own faults and blind to the opportunities that our failings may give way to. Envy becomes destructive when the opportunity for self-improvement is lost.
When envy is driven by ego, we lose sight of our shortcomings. Most feelings of jealousy actually stem from an inflated sense of self-worth. Therefore, the battle becomes a fight between ourselves and our egos, not between ourselves and the feelings we may have. In order to channel envy for the good we must first deflate our sense of entitlement.
It’s not about us and what we think we deserve. It is about feeling proud of our family and friends and allowing them to reap the benefits of their achievements. When we can do that we can then create a space for envy to grow and to be channeled into a momentum for self-reflection and self-improvement.
Our struggle with envy is for the time being. One day it will be gone forever as Rambam writes regarding he coming of Moshiach “In that era, there will be neither famine nor war, envy or competition, for good will flow in abundance and all the delights will be freely available as dust. The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d.”
Until that time, it is up to us to identify when envy can become destructive and instead, direct our feelings into a more constructive channel.