<p class="bodytext">To quote Nelson Mandela, resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies. This is very true. Resentment leads to anger, frustration, and ultimately hostility. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche believed that resentment had its origin in not accepting one’s limitations. This results in you convincing yourself that you have been treated unfairly. This, in turn, leads to envy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Aristotle calls envy the pain we feel at the good fortune of others or the pleasure we feel at the misfortune of others. We are envious, as Aristotle points out, of those we consider our equals. We don’t envy ‘those who lived a hundred centuries ago or those who dwell near the Pillars of Hercules’ but those who ‘follow the same ends as ourselves’. The problem is that we consider ourselves equal to or better than all those whom we resent and envy. We do not realise or acknowledge our own shortcomings. Hence, and aptly, the Aristotelian definition of envy has been extended by some to call it a vice. No virtuous person would feel pain at another’s good fortune or pleasure in the misfortune of others.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Envy, as has been pointed out, is the difference between what you are and what you wish you were; it gnaws at you, makes you bitter, and makes you a lesser person. And worse, the person whose success is causing resentment and envy may not even be aware of this. He is just better than you. But within yourself, you identify that person as the cause of your resentment and are afflicted with envy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As has been said, envy is the art of counting other people’s blessings instead of your own. Nietzsche has prescribed an antidote for this negative emotion. Nietzsche’s Superman handles this by introspecting and honestly acknowledging this emotion. He becomes active and concentrates on ‘playing, dancing, and creating’. This solution will work not just for Superman but also for ordinary mortals. It is important to keep oneself occupied, both physically and intellectually. The more active you are, the less time you have to notice what others are doing or even think about others. Get busy and work hard. Channelize the resentment and envy to become better than the person who has caused <br />the resentment and envy. Freeing yourself from this emotion will reduce a burden that bogs your progress. It will make you a happier and, ultimately, better person.</p>
<p class="bodytext">To quote Nelson Mandela, resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies. This is very true. Resentment leads to anger, frustration, and ultimately hostility. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche believed that resentment had its origin in not accepting one’s limitations. This results in you convincing yourself that you have been treated unfairly. This, in turn, leads to envy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Aristotle calls envy the pain we feel at the good fortune of others or the pleasure we feel at the misfortune of others. We are envious, as Aristotle points out, of those we consider our equals. We don’t envy ‘those who lived a hundred centuries ago or those who dwell near the Pillars of Hercules’ but those who ‘follow the same ends as ourselves’. The problem is that we consider ourselves equal to or better than all those whom we resent and envy. We do not realise or acknowledge our own shortcomings. Hence, and aptly, the Aristotelian definition of envy has been extended by some to call it a vice. No virtuous person would feel pain at another’s good fortune or pleasure in the misfortune of others.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Envy, as has been pointed out, is the difference between what you are and what you wish you were; it gnaws at you, makes you bitter, and makes you a lesser person. And worse, the person whose success is causing resentment and envy may not even be aware of this. He is just better than you. But within yourself, you identify that person as the cause of your resentment and are afflicted with envy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As has been said, envy is the art of counting other people’s blessings instead of your own. Nietzsche has prescribed an antidote for this negative emotion. Nietzsche’s Superman handles this by introspecting and honestly acknowledging this emotion. He becomes active and concentrates on ‘playing, dancing, and creating’. This solution will work not just for Superman but also for ordinary mortals. It is important to keep oneself occupied, both physically and intellectually. The more active you are, the less time you have to notice what others are doing or even think about others. Get busy and work hard. Channelize the resentment and envy to become better than the person who has caused <br />the resentment and envy. Freeing yourself from this emotion will reduce a burden that bogs your progress. It will make you a happier and, ultimately, better person.</p>