I loved that you wrote this article and thank you for sharing it.
I want to share back:
- Envy as per the quote, is not pure malice or hatred. Sometimes it can be. Other times it’s pure grief. More times it’s a messy mix.
About your cultivation steps:
- It is not a fact that ‘it is okay for others to have things that we don't have’; it’s not *not a fact* either! But a belief / stance / perspective, and if someone is in the opposite of that, it’s gonna take more than awareness to shift (practice & healing).
- I as a whole, not a shell, cannot survive without deep human connection to myself, place, and other, and that is what I am too often and long without and what I envy. Deeper even than this, some people do not survive even physically when what they envy is what they need… I feel some of us are still wired for nature based tribal life….. Smaller envy’s, sure, survivable. But underplaying the gravitas for some, can add to their alienation.
- To your following point, being less innately worthy, or not, is probably irrelevant, if those around us are not treating us as valuable. Evolutionarily, being pushed out of the village or clan into the wilderness, was life or death. Capitalism, the built environment, and state governance etc do intervene now, but for some that’s more like being kept breathing by life support rather than really living.
Lastly, I think in order not to inadvertently reproduce myth-thoughts around hierarchies which perpetuate vast injustices, intentionality is hyper-important in how we talk about them.
There exists primal, largely unconscious systems in the human brain that track power in resources and traits; survival mechanisms. But that doesn’t mean oppressive or rigid hierarchies are inevitable. With education and effort, we can be part of egalitarian cultures that soften or even transcend those instincts ~ some indigenous societies have been doing so for 10,000’s of years, maybe longer. Bruce Parry speaks well on the subject, having spent time with some of these tribes.
Love Betwixt, really enjoy your articles and their graphics,, I hope this verbose Eeyore over here has given *worthy* - ha ha! - food for thought! Thanks for bringing our shadow Envy, and it’s gifts, to the table.
I am enjoying this series very much! This article in particular helped me understand on a deeper level some interactions in the past, ones where I have been envious and ones where I have been the target of jealousy.
I’m an unfortunate inner expert on my own envy.
I loved that you wrote this article and thank you for sharing it.
I want to share back:
- Envy as per the quote, is not pure malice or hatred. Sometimes it can be. Other times it’s pure grief. More times it’s a messy mix.
About your cultivation steps:
- It is not a fact that ‘it is okay for others to have things that we don't have’; it’s not *not a fact* either! But a belief / stance / perspective, and if someone is in the opposite of that, it’s gonna take more than awareness to shift (practice & healing).
- I as a whole, not a shell, cannot survive without deep human connection to myself, place, and other, and that is what I am too often and long without and what I envy. Deeper even than this, some people do not survive even physically when what they envy is what they need… I feel some of us are still wired for nature based tribal life….. Smaller envy’s, sure, survivable. But underplaying the gravitas for some, can add to their alienation.
- To your following point, being less innately worthy, or not, is probably irrelevant, if those around us are not treating us as valuable. Evolutionarily, being pushed out of the village or clan into the wilderness, was life or death. Capitalism, the built environment, and state governance etc do intervene now, but for some that’s more like being kept breathing by life support rather than really living.
Lastly, I think in order not to inadvertently reproduce myth-thoughts around hierarchies which perpetuate vast injustices, intentionality is hyper-important in how we talk about them.
There exists primal, largely unconscious systems in the human brain that track power in resources and traits; survival mechanisms. But that doesn’t mean oppressive or rigid hierarchies are inevitable. With education and effort, we can be part of egalitarian cultures that soften or even transcend those instincts ~ some indigenous societies have been doing so for 10,000’s of years, maybe longer. Bruce Parry speaks well on the subject, having spent time with some of these tribes.
Love Betwixt, really enjoy your articles and their graphics,, I hope this verbose Eeyore over here has given *worthy* - ha ha! - food for thought! Thanks for bringing our shadow Envy, and it’s gifts, to the table.
I loved reading your points, Fran. Thank you for the thoughtful commentary!
I am enjoying this series very much! This article in particular helped me understand on a deeper level some interactions in the past, ones where I have been envious and ones where I have been the target of jealousy.
Thank you for the kind words, Terina. Glad to hear that this is resonating. It hit close to home for me, too!