Society And Character

While a poor woman stood in the market place selling cheese, a cat came along and carried of a cheese. A dog saw the pilferer and tried to take the cheese away from him, but the cat stood up to the dog. They pitched into each other. Whilst the dog barked and snapped, the cat spat and scratched; but they could bring the battle to no decision.
"Let us go to the fox and have him referee the matter," the cat finally suggested. "Agreed," said the dog. So they went to the fox. The fox listened to their arguments with a judicious air. "Foolish animals," he chided them, "why carry on like that? If both of you are willing, I'll divide the cheese in two and you'll both be satisfied."
"Agreed," said the cat and the dog. So the fox took out his knife and cut the cheese in two, but, instead of cutting it lengthwise, he cut it in the width. "My half is smaller!" the dog protested. The fox looked judiciously through his spectacles at the dog's share. "You are right, quite right!" the fox decided. So he went and bit off a piece of the cat's share. "That should make it even," he said.
When the cat saw what the fox did she began to yowl: "Just look! My part is smaller now!" The fox again put on his spectacles and looked judiciously at the cat's share. "Right you are," said the fox. "Just a moment, and i will make it right." And he went and bit off a piece from the dog's cheese. This went on so long with the fox nibbling first at the dog's and then at the cat's share, then he finally ate up the whole cheese before their eyes. (A TREASURE OF JEWISH FOLKLORE, NATHAN AUSUBEL, ED., 1948)

There is a quote that goes like, "People always want what they cannot have." Well for the purpose of this post, I'm rephrasing it to be, "People will always want what they do not yet have."

There are a lot of interpretations and explanations regarding the word 'Envy', it would be time-consuming to get into each and every one of them. But the point being made in its entirety is virtually the same. It is a perfectly normal human emotion; though it is an emotion one might never hear another admit to very often. It is a strong emotion nonetheless; one that has divided kingdoms, started wars, and even torn relationships apart. Yes, envy has been and will always be, and i do not aim to banish it by writing this expose'. For those with an open mind willing to see the danger for what it is, pay close attention: ENVY IS THE WORST KIND OF EMOTION A PERSON CAN HAVE!
It is the mother of all negative emotions we as humans have come to see as normal. Hate, jealousy, anger, malice, corruption, aggression, and so on... all stem from a trunk of envy. It is the selfish need to be better than the next person that incites a lot of most if not all of the negative emotions we feel for others. Have i ever felt envious of another? Of course i have, else i would not be writing this.
Will the world automatically become a better place if we all choose to avoid emotions like these? No, I do not think so, but, it is a step in the right direction.