14-30-1

Envy has never been a greater problem than today. There are two main drivers. The first is social media. Ethan Kross, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies the impact of Facebook on our wellbeing, says that through social media, “envy is being taken to an extreme.” Robert Greene explains how in The Laws of Human Nature:

“Through social media we have a continual window into the lives of friends, pseudo-friends, and celebrities. And what we see is not some unvarnished peek into their world but a highly idealized image that they present. We see only the most exciting images from their vacations, the happy faces of their friends, and children, accounts of their continual self-improvement, the fascinating people they are meeting, the great causes and projects they are involved in, the example of success in their endeavors.”

Or, as The Guardian put it more succinctly: The age of envy: How to be happy when everyone else’s life looks perfect. Our phones are envy amplification machines.

A second driver of envy is the politics of inequality which thrives on fanning the flames of jealousy by highlighting wealth, privilege, and power differences in society.

None of us are immune to these social pressures which multiply the envy we find in our own hearts. But, so what? I can hide my envy so that no one sees it or is hurt by it. If unopposed, envy usually does end up hurting other people through criticism, gossip, and other underhand attacks. However, even if we do manage to stop it hurting others, it hurts ourselves, as Proverbs 14:30 warns us: A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. Or, to put it another way, Envy eats us, but peace feeds us.

Full sermon notes on Proverbs 14:30 here.