Envy

Have you ever heard anyone talk about an "evil eye" or green eye? The word translated "envious" in some places in the Bible is the Greek term that literally means "evil eye." We can translate Greek as envy because that word comes from the Latin words that mean "to look against." Envy is just that: we "look against" someone who in some area is a level or two above us. We don't actually have the power to wish that person sickness or bad luck or death, but we do not wish that person well; we may actually wish him or her harm. We look at him or her with an evil eye. DEFINITION Bertrand Russell said "Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own; he also said that envy was one of the most effective causes of unhappiness. Not only is the envious person rendered unhappy by his envy, but they also wish to inflict misfortune on others. Harold Coffin also defined envy to be like a tiny devil on your shoulder that whispers words into your ear, gnashes on your soul and makes life into something that is often filled with suffering and much negativity. Or the envy can just be something that irritates and distracts you from time to time. Envy may also be defined as an emotion that occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desire it or wishes that the other lacked it. Envy can be a hidden emotion, kept under a smile so others don't see it. But on the inside, it can be weakening. Envy simply means looking to get through the feeling or desire to get what belongs to others.