Three Tales About Envy

5 minutes

Envy is a very negative emotion but also a very human one. These three tales
about envy will help you see how this deplorable emotion took hold of some
individuals and led them to hurt others and themselves.

These three tales about envy were created with a set purpose: to make everyone see

the manifestations and effects of this insane emotion. As a matter of fact, many people

believe envy was the cause of the first murder in sacred history. Cain killed

Abel because he didn’t tolerate God preferring him. Actually, more than just conflict or

even war rose due to the envy many individuals were dealing with.

Wanting what another person has isn’t necessarily negative. It may motivate you to

work harder to get to where they are. However, when it comes to envy, it’s different.

This emotion is quite negative and eats people up inside. In all honesty, most people (if

not all of them) have felt envious at least once in their lives. It takes place when a

person’s identity isn’t well-established and, as a consequence, they focus on what they

lack and proceed to compare themselves to other people’s goods.

Now, it’s possible to heal oneself from this terrible emotion. There are two ways to do

so. First off, practicing compassion. Every single person in the world is dealing with
issues and internal demons, as they’ve got their own sufferings. Furthermore, it’s also

good to internalize the fact that most people have worked very hard to get to where

they currently are. Once you realize this, you’ll see that you, too, need to work hard to

get the outcome you desire. No successful person ever got to that point without

perseverance.

“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.”

‐Harold Coffin‐

That being said, in this article, we’re going to tell three tales about envy that could
provide you with a very good life lesson.

1. “The Peacock”, the first of the three

tales about envy
Once upon a time, a peacock

was deeply admired by the other

animals. Every day, right when the sun

began to rise, he strolled through the

fields showing off his amazing

plumage. Everyone was always waiting

for the moment when he’d spread his

tail and reveal all that beauty he had within him.

Moreover, the tale says that, one day, strangers arrived at the place. Everyone received

them very kindly. The group of owls talked and talked until very late at night. All of a

sudden, one of the owls told the others that he’d seen a beautiful golden

pheasant nearby. It was the most majestic bird he’d ever seen in his life. The others

agreed with him.

A turkey listened to the conversation and he couldn’t believe it. He was certain that

said golden pheasant had flaws the owls had overlooked. Because of this, the next

morning, he went to look for this animal because he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Sadly, he got lost in the woods and no one ever heard from him again.

This is one of those tales about envy that teach just how useless it is to try to bring

others down to make yourself feel better.

“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not
obtain peace of mind.”

‐Buddha‐

2. “Who’s worse?”, the second of the three

tales about envy
Now, this tale tells that, once upon a time, there was a distant country where the king

wanted to know whether envy or stinginess was worse. He proceeded to call out the

most envious and stingy men in the country to find out the answer to his question. Once
these men were in front of the king, he said: “Each one of you can ask me for whatever

you want but I’m going to give double to the person next to you.”

The stingy man felt very uncomfortable. By asking, he’d also be giving. Something

similar happened to the envious man. As a consequence, the stingy man then said that

he didn’t wish for anything. If the king didn’t give him anything to him, the person next

to him wouldn’t get anything either. Then, it was the envious man’s turn, he

said, “P lease, I want you to take one of my eyes out.”

This is one of the most important tales about envy. As you can see, some people feel

envy to such an extent that they’re willing to suffer if that means that another person

will suffer even more.

3. “The Tale of the Crabs”

There was a fisherman selling crabs near the beach. He had two buckets where the

animals rested. However, one of the buckets was covered, while the other wasn’t. No
one had noticed that until a woman came to see the merchandise and was curious

about the difference. She thought that perhaps the animals were of different quality.

Then, she asked the fisherman about the reason for this situation.

The fisherman pointed to the lidded crab bucket and said that those were Japanese

crabs. After that, he pointed to the other bucket and said that those were national

crabs. The woman didn’t understand. What did that have anything to do with one

bucket being covered and not the other?

The fisherman noticed how confused the woman looked. For this reason, he decided to

further explain himself. “You see, Japanese crabs escape easily. When one of them tries to

get out, the others form a chain and help him, until he manages to run away. That’s why it’s

necessary to put a lid on the bucket. On the other hand, the national crabs, as soon as they

see that someone is trying to escape, grab him, and hold him so that it doesn’t succeed.”

The moral of the third of the tales about envy is that an envious person prefers to

achieve nothing provided that others don’t either.

“Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise

but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.”

‐William Arthur Ward‐