Envy

Lust...In Check

Gluttony...In Check

Greed...In Check

Pride...In Check

Sloth...In check (could be better)

Wrath...In Check

Envy....In..crap!

Envy is one of the aforementione 7 deadly sins or cardinal sins mind you.   It is the one I have currnently been struggling with tonight. In Dante's oh so famous writings an envious sinner would have his eyes sewn shut with wire, because the use his eyes to gain pleasure from another man's pain.   

Envy can be defined as spite for another human being in response to their success. I think that is a fabulous definition.

I shouldn't be envious. There is no good reason for it other than I am acting childish.  When thinking through the situation I am not angered, and truly with logic I am not envious. However my raw emotion..if envy can be condensed to an emotion to begin with.. is envy.  But why?

I am not an envious person. I generally bask in the success of others. Not tonight. Bah.

How does one battle envy other than inner chastisement? According to Prudentius  there are 7 Contrary Virtues in which to combat the 7 Cardinal Sins:

Chastity      vs. Lust

Abstinence vs. Glutton

Liberality   vs. Greed

Humility     vs. Pride

Diligence     vs. Sloth

Patiences    vs. Wrath

Kindess       vs. Envy

In order to combat my envy, I shall do random acts of kindness tomorrow specifically to the person I feel I have most slighted. It is odd, because I know it is envy, but I truly wish nothing bad on the person. I just...wish it could be different.

I am listening currently to Jonathan Larson's "Goodbye Love". It fits the mood.  The whole thing fits but really at 2:42

We shall see if anything comes from this.