Wilson Orhiunu (Email: babawill2000@gmail.com Twitter: @Babawilly)
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? (Proverbs 27:4). Envy is that nasty perfume that repels every nostril. It is worn by those who begrudge others who possess something desirable that has eluded them.
The envious fall into a few groups as follows:
Those that desire and do not have any (Longa throat-small)
This could be seen in the unemployed who have best friends in high paying jobs. They compare their lot in life to that of their friends which drive them up the proverbial wall.
They that desire a bigger dose of what they have (Longa throat -medium)
These are the ones who suddenly develop insomnia as they lay on their beds in their two-bedroom flat just because they attended the house warming of a friend’s five-bedroom house. Sometimes, they do not even get home before their skin turns green like the angry Avenger. “Are we not in the same industry?” they ask aloud.
They that desire what they do not have and wish that those who have it should lose it (Longa throat large & lethal)
These are the dangerous ones. They wish that those driving cars they do not have would be separated from their cars by one of three methods;
- The car gets stolen
- Sudden hard times cause a forced sale of the car or
- The car owner dies suddenly.
These envious vermin are usually the most punctual at the funeral crying and muttering about how money cannot buy life. They are also the ones that will stuff twenty puff puffs and meat pies down their throats as the tray goes by. Ole!
They that do not desire what you have but want you to lose what you have for it makes you happy (Longa throat- large & kolo-mental)
These are the ones that see you enjoying a past-time that they care nothing for but strongly desire to wipe that smile off your face (Naija parents can sometimes fall into this category). One might enjoy chess or football and suddenly a family meeting is called and you are told to stop ‘wasting time on games’ and ‘face your book’.
Envy is detestable yet it flourishes in our world. The envious are usually a very observant breed for how else would you notice you lack your neighbour’s achievements without careful study and thought. Once the initial hypothesis is made that your neighbour is enjoying his life by a bigger percentage than everybody else on the street, further research and analysis are needed to confirm beyond reasonable doubt that the hypothesis rings through.
Researchers are recruited (‘amebo’(gossip) field workers) who study the daily change of clothing and lifestyle of the said neighbour for a few weeks till all the data are gathered together for a final analysis after which a ‘white paper’ is produced to confirm that – our neighbour is rich, proud and very stingy. Foot notes to the white paper could include areas for further research such as postulations that the said neighbour is a drug dealer or is involved in ‘money rituals’.
You see, being envious is a dynamic state and it takes a lot of work. It might even be easier to work harder at one’s job to improve one’s lot in life than to seat with the scoffers and acquire PHDs (Pull Him Down) over fish pepper soup at the street corner joint.
For those who cannot help looking at others who seem to be blessed with good fortune, there is hope. If you must look, then look at one thing only – their Work Ethic. Study the work ethics of those whose lifestyles draw in your eyes like magnets.
Since there is a work ethic or ‘hustle’ behind every great harvest, one should be sincere and admit that those desirable things that are lacking in our lives are the things that we have not found the right hustle for. Simply put, if your neighbour has a lot of apples, and you have none, he must have planted apple trees years ago.
The question to ask when confronted with another man’s good fortune is what does he do when he wakes up and for how long? His cars and clothes are just distracting side effects of his work ethic. That is why an apprentice will one day become like his master but a fan remains a fan for life. The apprentice or mentee closely aligns himself to the machinery that make success possible and is tutored the discipline of turning up early and persevering till the work is done. An apprentice is usually too busy to have time to notice how many shoes his master owns. He is more interested in acquiring his master’s skills.
The sweat involved in producing a harvest is hidden from the fan or consumer. What he is exposed to is adverts that implore him to buy products. Such a one looks at the successful and only sees the trappings of harvest and not the toiling that goes into planting precious seeds.
There is nothing more attractive to a man who lacks and desires something than the one who possesses it. Gazing at the people we desire to be like starts an internal dialogue. Researching what the price that was paid to get the ‘prize’ and being envious of the work ethic on display should stimulate some competitiveness which causes an emulation of that work ethic. This represents a tolerable envy.
