Is Envy Good for You?

Anne Zouroudi

It’s a familiar, if uncomfortable, feeling. Your best friend announces she’s engaged to the handsome doctor she’s been dating, and the congratulatory hug you offer lacks genuine warmth.1. congratulatory: 祝贺的；genuine: 真正的，真诚的。Your friend’s made the team for Saturday’s big game, and you take a certain pleasure in telling him you can’t be there to watch him play. Something nasty’s gnawing at your stomach, and you smile through gritted teeth as that voice in your head asks,2. nasty: 恶心的，肮脏的；gnaw: 咬，侵蚀；gritted: 摩擦作响的。why them and not you?

Envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, a flaw of character we like to keep firmly in the closet.3. Seven Deadly Sins: 七宗罪，天主教教义中人的七项恶行，包括色欲、贪食、贪婪、懒惰、愤怒、妒忌和傲慢； flaw: 缺点；keep...in closet: 隐藏，保密。And it’s hardly surprising that we keep our envy secret. How ungracious is it, after all, not to be looking forward with delight to your day as your best friend’s bridesmaid?4. 毕竟，不去快乐地期盼着为好友做伴娘的那一天是多么无礼的事情啊！ungracious:无礼貌的，没规矩的；bridesmaid: 伴娘。And who but a total louse would hope your friend might suffer some injury, so you can take his place on the team?5. louse: 虱子，喻卑鄙的人；take one’s place:取代某人。

We all know the fairytale of Cinderella, where a downtrodden girl makes good.6. Cinderella: 灰姑娘；downtrodden: 受压迫的；make good: 成功。What stands between Cinderella and her happy-ever-after are two manifestations of the bitterest envy—her step-sisters, bent on bagging her Prince Charming for themselves.7. manifestation: 表现；bitter: 充满仇恨（或不满）的；bag: v. （用计谋）获取，抢占；Prince Charming: 白马王子。

In history, musical prodigy Mozart shared the limelight with Antonio Salieri, a composer who in his lifetime had far more success than Mozart.8. prodigy: 奇才；Mozart: 莫扎特（1756—1 7 9 1），欧洲古典主义音乐作曲家；limelight: 聚光灯；Antonio Salieri: 安东尼奥·萨列里（1750—1825），是与莫扎特同时代的杰出音乐家。但一个由来已久的传说使得人们认为，他是一个才能不及莫扎特、妒忌心重的作曲家，并且设计害死了音乐天才莫扎特。Yet Salieri was so eaten with envy over what he saw as Mozart’s effortless talent, he’s rumored to have seen Mozart off with a fatal dose of poison.9. rumor: 谣传；see off: 送行，送别；fatal dose: 致死剂量。

An extreme case, maybe. But from childhood complaints of, “It’s not fair!” to the sniping of of fice politics and the back-biting on a girls’night out,10. sniping: 诽谤；back-biting: 诽谤。envy is everywhere. It seems to be in our nature to resent11. resent: 怨恨。others’ gifts and good fortune, especially if we see them as undeserved advantages.

你是否曾因为好友和高富帅结婚而忿忿不平？又是否因看到朋友率领球队过关斩将而怨恨万分？你会去参加他们的婚礼，观看他们的比赛吗？这种郁闷的心情每个人都曾经历过，它就是妒忌。这种心理会对我们有怎样的影响？在心生妒忌之情时，我们该如何去做呢？

Envy raises its ugly head when we focus on what we want that we don’t possess now, and at a more intense level, we may even wish for and take pleasure in someone losing what we have coveted.12. raise its ugly head:（某种风气）抬头，（尤指不好的东西）出现；intense: 强烈的；covet: 垂涎，觊觎。Feelings of unfairness and the hostility that sometimes goes with it are part of being human, but when you focus on your lack or your de ficiencies—when you compare yourself and your life unfavorably with your friend, your work-colleague or your love-rival—you can only perpetuate your darker emotions.13. 人生在世难免会感到不平，有时会产生敌意，但如果你过分关注你的缺失和不足，过分地把自己和你的朋友、同事还有情敌相比较，你的负面情绪便永远不会消失。hostility: 敌意；de ficiency:缺陷，不足；unfavorably: 不合适地，不利地；love-rival: 情敌；perpetuate: 使长存，保持。And that makes you feel bad.

So is there a solution? Is there anything you can do to quash the most ungenerous of emotions?14. quash: 制止，平息；ungenerous: 心胸狭隘的。

Well, why not turn envy on its head, and make it the spur you need for self-improvement?15. turn sth. on its head: 反过来，完全改变；spur: 鼓舞，激励。The ultimate weapon against envy is not to compete where you can’t shine16. shine: 出类拔萃，表现突出。, but to do your absolute best where you can.

Start by making peace with17. make peace with: 与……讲和。yourself, and accept the gifts which make you unique. Make a pact18. make a pact: 做个约定，达成协议。with yourself to be the best you can be. Then pinpoint the circumstances and qualities in others that trigger your envy.19. pinpoint: 查明；trigger: 引发。Is it someone’s singing voice, their work promotion, their new car? Envy shows us the things we’d like to have—so draft20. draft: 起草。a plan to earn what’s important to you. Sign up for a night-class. Start a training program. Forego a treat or two,21. forego: 放弃；treat: 请客。and start saving for what you want.

And aim for genuine pleasure in the achievements and good fortune of others. Cheer on22. cheer on: 鼓励，为……加油。your friend when he scores that goal.Enjoy your best friend’s wedding day. Then go out and do something special, and make yourself wonderfully proud of you.