I should be working on my novella. Instead, I have allowed myself to be distracted by what’s going on in the world. One of the questions that has been rattling around in my brain is why is there so much anger and venom on display for the “elites,” the “woke,” or the “liberals.” Why all the malicious glee at the suffering of those, admittedly sometimes annoying but basically nice, people? I think it can be summed up in one word: envy.
We all have occasional bouts of envy. For example, I may ask myself, “Why are others selling more books than I am? Are they luckier or more talented?” (Or working harder at their craft, instead of procrastinating, says that annoying little inner voice. But that’s another story.) But then I get a bit of validation, and I forget about comparing my modest achievements with those of others, for a while.
However, some people suffer from an acute case of envy. And, rather than appreciate what they have, they stew in their juices about what they don’t have, and chafe against the unfairness of life. Afflicted with these dark passions, they constantly ask themselves, “Why are other people talented, educated, beautiful, fortunate, or loved, while I am not?”
To build up their sense of self-worth, with as little actual effort as possible, they denigrate and mock others. Unscrupulous politicians are only too eager to score points by inflaming anger and envy. And some of them do it very well.
For example, Trump likes to pander to his base by letting them know he is sticking it to “those people.” This is one of the main reasons he is popular in certain circles. They don’t care about his policies or his lack of decency. As long as he makes their supposed enemies angry or upset, they are happy with him. As he recently said to the troops in Qatar, “You saw the new, the new hat. The hottest hat is, it says, ‘Trump 2028.’ We’re driving the left crazy.” (Huff Post “’Mad King’ Donald Trump Torched Over ‘Especially Jarring’ Claim to U.S. Troops In Qatar.” Lee Moran. Fri, May 16, 2025.)
But the sand in their shoes continues to rub, until they don’t care if the whole world goes up in flames, because it does not sufficiently cater to their outsized sense of entitlement. Someone is to blame for their lack of success. Who is it? They look around, never in the mirror, and point the finger at the first person who seems better off than they are.
Envy is a fault as old as humankind. In fact, it is one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Aristotle first wrote, “We envy those whose possessions or achievements are a reflection on our own. They are our neighbors and equals. It is they, above all, who make plain the nature of our failure.”
It is that feeling of failure that is so infuriating.
P.S. My publisher says, that if all goes well, the second Caravans book should be coming out in August or September. For more about books by Bonnie, go to: https://bonnieoldre.com/
Bonnie's Books & Things 
Leave a comment