Envy: The Seven Deadly Sins (New York Public Library Lectures in Humanities)

Description

"The entire advertising industry...can be viewed as little more than a vast and intricate envy-creating machine." ~ Joseph Epstein At any one point in life we all seem to be struggling with one of the seven deadly sins. Just when we think we have one area under control another sin rears its ugly head. Envy it seems is one of the ugliest sins leading us to hatred, hostility, spite and destruction. To be honest I've felt envy only a few times in my life and it so shocked me into reality that I changed my actions and took another path almost instantly. It was easy to distinguish from jealousy, which I have felt more frequently and mostly in regards to romantic relationships. Joseph Epstein does a good job discussing both jealousy and envy and also reveals his own envy. In fact for a great deal of the book he discusses his own feelings of envy towards other writers, public figures, etc. This book deals with many issues related to envy like anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism, envy of the young, covetousness, feminism (envying men), Marxism, professional envy, sibling rivalry and the happiness felt when someone fails. If you have ever felt envious you may recognize your feelings somewhere in this book. This book also has the cure for envy as stated in this quote: "Jesus among his apostles attempted to root out envy by rooting out its arch cause: rivalry. Jesus attempted to convince all that earthly rewards are at best minor rewards. Glory, riches, power were as nothing compared to what was on offer in the world beyond." ~ pg. 87 ~The Rebecca Review