Jealousy is born from a mind in which many, many are living. It is called the cumulative mind, the collective mind, the social mind or the comparative mind.
To say that there are many, means that there are different entities. And to say that there are different entities, means you have already compared them.
Can you say that ‘X’ is different from ‘Y’ without comparing ‘X’ and ‘Y’? Jealousy cannot be there without ‘the other’.
Till the time you have any kind of estimation of yourself, you will compare. Such is my height, such is my worth, so many marks do I get, this is the amount of money that I earn.’ Till the time there is any bit of identification with this, till the time you have taken yourself as a quantity that can be measured, estimated, a number that can be attached to yourself, there is bound to be comparison, because numbers are meant to be compared. And where there is comparison, there is jealousy.
Jealousy is nothing but the feeling to have a higher number. ‘I need to have a higher number.’ And you will always want a higher number till the time there is a number that is important to you.
If your salary figure is important to you, you cannot avoid feeling jealous of someone who earns more than you.
If your percentage of marks is important to you, you will not be able to avoid being jealous of someone who has a higher percentage.
Everything that is quantifiable, that can be put in numbers, is a source of jealousy.
What all can be put in numbers?
The complexion of your skin can be put in numbers. You can measure it through a scale of brightness or something. Now you would be jealous, you would surely be jealous. ‘My wife is of a less fancied complexion than my brother’s wife.’
We think of ourselves as a finite entity that can be measured. In what ways do we measure ourselves?
- Height and weight
- Net worth
- Number of automobiles
- I.Q.
- Qualifications; I have 5 degrees and the other has 3
- Achievements; the number of certificates
- The number of countries I have visited.
- Number of followers and number of likes on social media pictures
- Number of girlfriends and boyfriends. And for the girlfriends, the numbers attached to their body. Thirty-six or twenty six?
So, to get over jealousy we should not take numbers seriously. What we live in, is a world of numbers. We see everything in numbers. What we call as life itself is measured in numbers- eighty years of age. So in some sense it is not easy to not to take numbers seriously. But the one who learns that art is the one who conquers jealousy.
Also, great importance should be given to that which can never be expressed in numbers.
And what is it that which cannot be expressed in numbers?
LOVE and JOY.
Submitted September 15, 2018 at 05:58AM by acharya-prashant https://ift.tt/2NbmFLj