Written by Penny
My student, when envy takes root in the mind, it does not come as a messenger of wisdom, but as an accompaniment of the desire for power and domination. It springs from inferiority, from a low estimate of self, and from the mistaken belief that another man's place, possessions, or personal qualities have some power to diminish your own relation to Life. This is the error. No soul can interpret its path truly while measuring itself by the passing opinions of men rather than by the quiet guidance of the Inner Light.
The envious person looks outward and judges by appearances. He sees the success of another, the gifts of another, the station of another, and through a false interpretation of universal law he concludes that he himself has been denied. He is guided, not by Truth within, but by the praise and blame of the world without. Thus he places his judgment in the hands of the crowd. In doing so, he wanders from the lawful path, for the crowd does not know the measure of the soul, nor can public opinion reveal the meaning of one's appointed work.
When envy is entertained, it lowers the vibratory plane of the individual. It cools affection. It leads one to depreciate the merit of others. It tempts a man to ride down those whom he believes to be above him. If permitted to grow, it may pass from inner bitterness to sabotage, and even to physical or material injury. Therefore, I would have you understand that envy is not a small weakness to excuse in yourself. It is a destructive state that darkens judgment and disorders conduct. It does not elevate the soul. It binds it more tightly to the lower opposites.
You will observe that envy arises most readily when the individual suffers, when he is deprived of that which he feels he needs, or when the future appears darkened before him. In such hours, the mind becomes especially vulnerable to false comparisons. Yet progress does not come by brooding over the contrast between your lot and another's. Progress begins when man rises above the opposites, above good and bad as they are socially named, above wealth and poverty, above fame and obscurity, and ceases to imagine that these outward conditions are the final measure of worth. So long as you compare, you remain in bondage to appearance. When comparison ceases, understanding may begin.
There is also a duty resting upon the superior person. If one possesses talent, cultivation, wealth, or influence, he should not make an ostentatious display of it before others. Such vanity is not greatness. True superiority carries humility with it. Genius is modest. The man who truly knows does not need to proclaim his excellence, nor to provoke in others the unrest that follows from needless display. If you have been given much, bear it quietly. Let your life reveal your measure through service and conduct, not through self-exhibition.
You must remember also that an Unseen Force is at work in the ordering of human life. One man is assigned the task of physician, another of lawyer, another of laborer, another of servant. The outer form of the task differs, but no honest duty is outside the Divine Plan. The tragedy begins when man rejects his own appointed field of growth because he covets the field assigned to another. Accept, then, your present station, not in resignation to defeat, but in obedience to law. Perform the duty nearest at hand to the best of your ability. In due season, evolution lifts each soul. Nothing real is lost by faithful effort, and nothing is gained by envy.
The proper transmutation of envy is not self-condemnation, but sublimation. The energy which would waste itself in resentment must be directed into useful activity. Develop the latent powers within you. Improve that which lies immediately about you. Appreciate the environment in which you now stand, and make of it a field for growth rather than complaint. The soul is not strengthened by craving another man's place. It is strengthened by doing its own work well. Remember always that charity envieth not. Where charity is present, the fever of comparison subsides, and the heart begins to move in harmony with law.
If, then, you would be free, cease measuring your life by the standards of the world. Refuse to let the opinions of others interpret your worth. Carry your gifts modestly if you possess them, and carry your duties faithfully whether they seem great or small. Turn every envious impulse into labor, into discipline, into inward growth. Thus shall that which would have lowered you become the very force by which you rise.
In Part 3, we will continue the series by examining the next layer of discipline required to rise above destructive comparison and align conduct with higher law.
To dive deeper into these foundational principles, explore the teachings of Concept Therapy and order your copy of Dr. Thurman Fleet's timeless work, Rays of the Dawn on Amazon.
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