Octo

In the broad spectrum of human emotion, nothing is as destructive as the emotion of jealousy. Consider anger and upset; these emotions, although undesireable, are not maladaptive. There is no harm in visiting that dark place every now and again or throwing a fist through the air or into a pillow - not only are these normal human experiences, but they are fundamental to our development and essential to being human. Carl Jung once stated, "Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness; the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness". However, unlike the emotions of anger and sadness, jealousy serves no purpose. Jealousy is no more adaptive or constructive than it is logical; it renders no positive outcomes and is built upon no rational foundation, serving only to deplete our spirits and crush our self-esteem. Wanting what someone else has only makes us more dissatisfied with what we already possess, and brings us no closer to attaining whatever that magical object or characteristic is. Jealousy undermines everything that we already are, ignoring all the things that make us special and unique; the eyes of jealousy make us blind to ourselves. We cannot possess that which belongs to other people, so why wish to be in someone else's shoes, own someone else's possessions or attain someone elses gifts? And what's to say they don't envy something that you have? We were not made to be someone else, and we cannot be someone else; there is no logic that supports this distressing emotion. In the end, all we can do is be the best version of us that we can possibly be.