The Antidote to Envy

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Dimmesdale
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The Antidote to Envy

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Post by Dimmesdale »

Before I found God, and to some extent afterwards, I envied other people's goods. Specifically their enjoyment of sex - which I could never find due to various reasons. To be honest, I still sometimes struggle with these kinds of temptations, but there a number of principles which have come to mind which help me ward off these rather dark thoughts. I have found that, spiritually speaking, it all boils down to envy. And when you analyze the emotion of envy, you realize it is pointless, because if you are a spiritual person, you have access to infinite wealth and pleasure within you already. You are the very opposite of a pauper, in other words. Lust obscures this fact by pretending to be substantive when in fact it is not. Once we realize the vacuous nature of lust, our true worth should easily dawn upon us, in bas relief as it were.

Firstly, your envying the lustful ones is misguided. They, those hedonists or even good-hearted enjoyers, have already had their reward. The fulfillment of desire is all for the space of a few moments. After that, there is no more enjoyment to be had, but only misery. True, one can return to the same old pleasures time and time again, perhaps for a number of years, but in the course of life the consequences follow you down the corridors of time, and you come to rue your former youthful exploits as they become stumblingblocks to spiritual development, - assuming you are fortunate enough to evolve in your proclivities - away from worldliness and towards greater holiness - something I would say inheres in the human status of life, and therefore cannot be repressed indefinitely.

So being lustful is not good, as it ultimately runs contrary to your nature. It is counterproductive and leads to misery in the long haul. But there is another reason that is also worth mentioning. Even if you pride yourself over your former exploits, you should realize that that itself is, more or less, a waste of time and a stumblingblock. To think "I accomplished so much debauchery in my youth; I actually LIVED!", is a testament to your not living, here and now. This is the kind of worthless and pathetic crutch you see the old harping on time and time again in their dotage, recalling the "good old days" when things were at the height of their idealized standard of living. This attitude is a calumny on life and a complete waste of mental resources, which can be put to much better use in the present. To be so caught up in the past is to be a slave to it. And not living fully in the present bodes ill for any and all spiritual advancement.

The one exception to this of course is, gratitude. One might say that the experiences in youth, even the fleshly, were gifts that one is grateful to have been given. In a sense it is true that all things have value when seen in their totality. But everyone, no matter who, has the right and capacity to be grateful. The bare fact of being alive should be a source of gratitude. The various ills one suffers should be a source of gratitude for how they shape and mold a person's consciousness in the direction of God as opposed to worldliness. In the end, all gratitude is the same. It is not a matter so much of quantitative experience as of qualitative acceptance. To be blessed is to take all the things that have happened in life, and set them in their proper context. And in the end the only proper way to view lustful hedonism is that one has been set free from it.

So, as can be seen, there is absolutely no value in the things of lust. They are absolutely hollow when compared to the inner, meditative joys of the spirit. Those things of the spirit are infinite, when practiced over time. Like a fractal pattern, more and more depth is unearthed the more time one invests in seeking those pure, ecstatic jewels of Being. The history of saints east and west proves this. Of more of that I will not speak, though it is indeed the other side of the coin: the positiva as opposed to the negativa. Suffice it to say that the spiritual realm exists, and we are all an eternal part of it. There is much to realize in this area to any inquisitive soul. But for that one must enter deeply and search out these things on one's own. No one can make the journey for you; the most important thing is to start, and to keep going no matter what. He who seeks, will find.

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Re: The Antidote to Envy

Post #2

Post by Tcg »

[Replying to Dimmesdale in post #1]

The antidote to envy is to be satisfied with what you have. It's not complex and no god is needed to accomplish it.


Tcg
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Re: The Antidote to Envy

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Post by Dimmesdale »

Tcg wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 1:47 pm [Replying to Dimmesdale in post #1]

The antidote to envy is to be satisfied with what you have. It's not complex and no god is needed to accomplish it.


Tcg
You're right. Even an atheist can become content, anyone can, whether he believes in God or not.

But I would say God is working incognito even then. ;)

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Re: The Antidote to Envy

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Post by Purple Knight »

I envy people who are good. I envy them so much I can scarcely think of anything else. I at least don't act against them, but if you believe in generating "negative energy" and the sun simply goes out one day, yeah, that was me.

Envious of pleasure? I'll do you one better.

I would seriously cut it off if it would make me a top-tier good person.

I would cut. it. off.

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Re: The Antidote to Envy

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Post by Dimmesdale »

Purple Knight wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:41 am I envy people who are good. I envy them so much I can scarcely think of anything else. I at least don't act against them, but if you believe in generating "negative energy" and the sun simply goes out one day, yeah, that was me.

Envious of pleasure? I'll do you one better.

I would seriously cut it off if it would make me a top-tier good person.

I would cut. it. off.
That is the type of severe attitude that I am missing, but which is necessary.

Not that I would actually choose to cut it off but.... the aspect of renunciation, of a firm and final "no..." to lesser things and objects.... I am not as evolved as you on that front.....

There are things in life which admit of degrees. You can taper things off, or increase them a little as you see fit. But when it comes to the most noble and great of things.... Degrees are not admitted. Rather, it is either/or. A final commitment, or a stubborn refusal. As Yoda says, "Do or do not. There is no 'try.'"

I honestly do not know when I can firmly imbibe and accept this consciousness - but I will. That is the best I can do at this point in my determination.

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Re: The Antidote to Envy

Post #6

Post by Purple Knight »

Dimmesdale wrote: Sat Apr 03, 2021 4:17 pmNot that I would actually choose to cut it off but.... the aspect of renunciation, of a firm and final "no..." to lesser things and objects.... I am not as evolved as you on that front.....
I'm not more evolved than you, or anyone. I wouldn't be like this if I knew right from wrong. If I knew right from wrong I'd probably be like anyone else. I'd take it for granted. I'd do the wrong thing sometimes, knowingly.

But from the perspective of someone who never knew right from wrong, the people who give in to temptation are taking their conscience for granted.

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