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Envy: The underrated sin
Jewish World Review ^
| August 17, 2007
| Jonah Goldberg
Posted on 08/17/2007 2:58:43 PM PDT by CutePuppy
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Politics of envy, ideology of envy - weapon of liberalism and path to socialism and economic and social ruin.
1
posted on
08/17/2007 2:58:45 PM PDT
by
CutePuppy
To: CutePuppy
In primitive societies, "No one dares to show anything that might lead people to think he was better off," Schoeck observed. "Innovations are unlikely. Agricultural methods remain traditional and primitive, to the detriment of the whole village, because every deviation from previous practice comes up against the limitations set by envy." I once read that in many places in Africa, having a better life than one's neighbor will get you accused of being a witch, with death and confiscation of your property soon to follow. No wonder these nations are still third world.
2
posted on
08/17/2007 3:05:01 PM PDT
by
scan59
(Let consumers dictate market policies. Government just gets in the way.)
To: CutePuppy
I despise envious people, people that are always looking around at others and trying to outdo the Joneses while never being happy with what they have. I could give a rat’s arse about what other people are doing, I do what makes me happy and have my own style.
I think it make you more decisive and creative, and more independent and stronger, which ironically brings even more envy from the enviers. Which is why I dismiss these weak and pathetic wastes with a standard answer - STFU and mind your own business.
3
posted on
08/17/2007 3:07:07 PM PDT
by
Free Vulcan
(Fight the illegal Mexican colonizers & imperialist conquistadors! Long live the resistance!)
To: scan59
"in Africa, having a better life than one's neighbor will get you accused of being a witch, with death and confiscation of your property soon to follow." Hmmmmmmm. I thought this was the demonrat party platform.
4
posted on
08/17/2007 3:12:17 PM PDT
by
Iam1ru1-2
To: CutePuppy
5
posted on
08/17/2007 3:18:11 PM PDT
by
AnAmericanMother
((Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment)))
To: CutePuppy
"Politics of envy, ideology of envy - weapon of liberalism and path to socialism and economic and social ruin." Thou shall not covet. The Bible seems to have it right on this one.
6
posted on
08/17/2007 3:18:21 PM PDT
by
StormEye
To: CutePuppy
Dr. Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve, pointed out that the flip side of envy is guilt, which is the genesis of modern liberalism. Misunderstood and unchecked, it leads to self hatred and the elevation of all who have less to a plane of superiority. IMO, spirituality (Christianity, in my case) helps me reconcile my failings and successes without being devoured by either of them. Self flagellation and debasement does not fulfill the human need to serve others as well as true acts of charity and volunteerism-it has to come from within us and can’t be dictated from politicial or social institutions. Again, IMHO, it is God who leads us to virtue, not the mandates of men.
7
posted on
08/17/2007 3:22:29 PM PDT
by
Spok
To: CutePuppy; y'all
We almost never discuss envy anymore. "One may admit to pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, and laziness, and one may even boast of them," Gonzalo Fernandez de la Mora wrote 20 years ago in "Egalitarian Envy." "There is only one capital sin no one admits to: envy. ... Its symbol ought to be a mask." This is a shame; the most pathetic of the seven deadly sins is perhaps the most consequential.
Indeed, just look again on the 20th century. Envy turned Germany cruel. In Russia, the ideology of envy socialism likewise ran amok under the label Bolshevism and threatened to overrun the world.
The consequences of envy run even deeper. It will never be known how many millennia man endured in misery and darkness under the moldering blanket of envy. Helmut Schoeck writes in his timeless masterpiece, "Envy: A Theory of Social Behavior," that whole societies, hobbled by envy, rejected innovation and prosperity, preferring the arrested development of all to the advancement of the few. --" We discuss socialism every day here on FR, -- with socialists who insist that our various levels of gov't can 'arrest the development of all to the advancement of "the goals" a supposed 'majority'.
I've never been a fan of Jonah Goldberg, -- but I have to admit he makes a great point this time.
8
posted on
08/17/2007 3:27:47 PM PDT
by
tpaine
(" My most important function on the Supreme Court is to tell the majority to take a walk." -Scalia)
To: CutePuppy
I’m not prone to envy. I have too much pride to think anyone is better than me.
; )
9
posted on
08/17/2007 3:37:03 PM PDT
by
Greg F
(The Congress voted and it didn't count and . . . then . . . it didn't happen at all.)
To: JonahGoldberg
I've never been a fan of Jonah Goldberg, -- but I have to admit he makes a great point with this essay.
Anybody know if Jonah [or his mom] still reads FR?
10
posted on
08/17/2007 3:48:38 PM PDT
by
tpaine
(" My most important function on the Supreme Court is to tell the majority to take a walk." -Scalia)
To: CutePuppy
People do not understand envy. Envy is not seeing a nice car and saving your money buying one just like it. Envy is seeing a nice car and destroying it because it is not yours. Ask and you will receive. Still there is more strength in just saying no to desire.
To: StormEye
Right On!! God has plenty and goodness for all his creation.
12
posted on
08/17/2007 3:57:27 PM PDT
by
Conservative4Ever
(Hoping my 'carbon footprint' has crushed a few liberals)
To: perseid 67
People do not understand envy. Envy is not seeing a nice car and saving your money buying one just like it. Envy is seeing a nice car and destroying it because it is not yours. Ask and you will receive. Still there is more strength in just saying no to desire. Yes, but to someone whose mind is clouded by the Liberal Fog, wishing to keep the fruits of one's labor is "greedy". Taking the fruits of "greedy" people's labor is good, since it punishes the evil ones.
13
posted on
08/17/2007 4:38:47 PM PDT
by
supercat
(Sony delenda est.)
To: scan59
I once read that in many places in Africa, having a better life than one's neighbor will get you accused of being a witch, with death and confiscation of your property soon to follow. No wonder these nations are still third world.Other than the witchcraft part, it sounds like the liberal left with business as usual.
To: tpaine
I've never been a fan of Jonah Goldberg, Nor am I.
-- but I have to admit he makes a great point this time.
He does indeed.
L
15
posted on
08/17/2007 4:45:43 PM PDT
by
Lurker
(Comparing moderate islam to extremist islam is like comparing small pox to ebola.)
To: CutePuppy
Liberals tend to be selective of who they are envious of: Rosie O’Donnell can make more in one year than one hundred American families will see in their lifetimes but she is sacrosanct.
Sam Walton and the company he helped to create from a small business is to be lambasted and criticized however.
One routinely spits on America and the values of decent people while the other was one of the innovators in selling cheap goods to average Americans. (Please spare me the Chinese diatribe; not when the people making it are regular Walmart shoppers)
16
posted on
08/17/2007 4:55:01 PM PDT
by
samm1148
(Pennsylvania-They haven't taxed air--yet)
To: supercat
Good point! The irony is so rich. Socialism seeks to rid the world of poverty by stealing the wealth of hard productive workers. As they steal money , they look down their noses at their victims telling their victims they will be better off because they will learn to be less materialistic. No one has ever overcome poverty by frugal living alone. Work trumps poverty.
To: Lurker; tpaine
Selectively, and on certain subjects, he comes up with good observations that are worth reading and thinking about.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/jonah1.asp - his archive, which I admit I have barely read (but it’s the second one I posted on FR few days apart).
I generally like the site overall for the richness and diversity of their authors’ opinions (click any of the “JWR pundits” on the right side) , but don’t visit it often.
18
posted on
08/17/2007 5:06:48 PM PDT
by
CutePuppy
(If you don't ask the right questions you may not get the right answers)
To: perseid 67; supercat; Lurker
People do not understand envy. Envy is not seeing a nice car and saving your money buying one just like it. Envy is seeing a nice car and destroying it because it is not yours. The kind of envy Jonah is talking about, --- is seeing a nice car and prohibiting the ability to own one, -- because it offends your political agenda.
19
posted on
08/17/2007 5:07:16 PM PDT
by
tpaine
(" My most important function on the Supreme Court is to tell the majority to take a walk." -Scalia)
To: CutePuppy
Actually I consider envy, hate and self-pity the "self-destructive" emotions.
People who let these emotions take over their life only hurt themselves.
When you hate somebody, the object of your hate doesn't suffer. But you will. You are also giving the object of your hate power over you.
When you envy somebody, the object of your envy doesn't become less fortunate. However, if you are busy envying others, you will not be able to improve your own station in life and your wasted emotion will only ensure that you continue feel inferior to others.
When you engage in self-pity, nobody is going to feel sorry for you but yourself. Self-pity is poor box office. Your self-pity will drive your successful friends away from you and you will be surrounded by losers like yourself.
So those are the three self-destructive emotions. The best thing you can do for your well-being is to hate nobody, envy nobody and stop feeling sorry for yourself.
20
posted on
08/17/2007 5:14:22 PM PDT
by
SamAdams76
(I am 21 days away from outliving Marvin Gaye)
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