There is a fable: The pig said, 'If I could live again, I would be a cow. Working is tiring, but it has a good reputation and people care for it.' The cow said, 'If I could live again, I would be a pig: eat then sleep, sleep then eat, no effort, no sweat, living like a god.' The eagle said, 'If I could live again, I would be a chicken: when thirsty, there is water; when hungry, there is rice; a house to live in and protection from people.' The chicken said, 'If I could live again, I would be an eagle, soaring in the sky, traveling across the world, freely hunting rabbits and chickens.' This is quite an interesting phenomenon, and one could say that the scenery is always elsewhere.
We always unconsciously envy what others have—envying their work, envying our friends' new homes, envying their cars, and so on, while the one thing we overlook is that we ourselves are also objects of others' envy.
In fact, people are always mutually envious in this way. Some often fantasize that one day, upon waking, they will become someone else. Perhaps it is because we are keenly aware of the shortcomings in our own lives, so we compare ourselves to those whose lives we believe are relatively perfect, using them as a point of reference for our own lives. In truth, there is no such thing as a perfect life; those we envy are also bearing their own disappointments. As the saying goes, every family has its own difficult scriptures to recite. Human vanity tends to display one's proud side for others to see, but who can truly see what lies behind someone else's glory? Often, what is gained is exactly what had to be borne, and every matter, like a coin, has two sides: a positive and a negative.
People, especially women, often like to compare themselves to others, resulting in resentment. It may be better to compare oneself with oneself to see whether one is improving and getting closer to one's desired goals. Encouraging oneself from time to time can help one do better. Perhaps while you are envying others, someone else is also envying you.
Of course, some people are indeed worth envying, not entirely because they have more, but because they are good at managing their lives.
Envying others stems from our desire for perfection and hoping to live better. But we overlook one thing: everyone's circumstances are different, and others can never be fully imitated. However, we can observe others' strengths to improve our own weaknesses. Instead of merely admiring others' happiness, it is better to pay attention to how they cultivate it.Rather than envy other people's good luck, it's better to learn from the process of their hard work.
Don't keep envying how this or that person is doing; carefully account for the blessings that heaven has given you, and you will find that what you have is definitely much more than what you lack. And the part that is missing, though unpleasant, is also a part of your life; accept it and treat it kindly, and your life will be much happier and more open-minded.
So, there really is no need to envy others. Hold onto what you have and think clearly about what you truly want, and only then will we be genuinely happy!
