You read the title right. Envy is the third natural emotion.
Credits/Ideas: CWG, and Dr. Elisabeth Kubler Ross, Wikipedia
Oh puhleaseee... read everything in context.
Natural envy is the feeling of desire to have something that someone has. This is when you desire to be like someone, or have something that a certain person has. This is like a five-year-old kid wishing he could ride the bike like his brother could or a teenager wanting to drive a car.
This is the natural emotion that makes you want to do it again; to try harder; to continue striving until you get what you want. It is very healthy to be envious, and it is just natural. It is human nature.
Just like grief and anger when you are taught as a child that it is ok to be envious in a healthy way, and you were allowed to express it, in your adult life, it is easy to move quickly from envy and you will have a healthy attitude towards it. But, if you were taught as a child that envy is not okay, and it is wrong to experience or express it, you will have a hard time dealing with envy when you grow old.
I know, while reading this you might be thinking... "What? Envy ? A natural emotion?". "It is just right to express it? and then teach the children to be envious?"
According to Schoeck from his book Envy: A Theory of Social Behaviour: "Envy is not wholly negative."
It is what drives us to do more, and it is just like admiring what others have achieved and wanting to achieve it yourself as well.
Basically, we all do feel envious about something one way or another. Show me a person who never wished to have something the other person has. Have you ever wished to be just like the actor/actress you do so admire? Have you ever wished to do something what other people have done like bungee jumping or go sky diving ?
Too much ENVY and ENVY repressed would lead to JEALOUSY. Jealousy is a veryyyy UNNATURAL emotion.
People have killed other people (like lovers in conflict) because of jealousy. Wars have started (just like Helen of Troy) because of this.
I think Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins in the Catholic tradition.
But, I hope you don't get me wrong here.. what I am talking about is the positive side of "envy". The "enough" envy that would drive you to where you want to be, but not the excess which would lead to jealousy. ( It's all too tricky, and I guess I can't express it wholly to you just here) I am talking about the envy that leads you or motivates you to be a better person and not cause other people harm. I hope we are clear on that.
Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon, but Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I daresay, envied Hercules, who never existed. - Bertrand Russell
21 comments from haloscan:
haha I think sis u're in the mood to post the 7 sins heehee.. 
maganda yan sis, nakaka inspired mga post you.. sobra.. 
d pa pala kita nalilink, so if you don't mind, I will link you.. mwah!
oh yes,envy,a natural emotion...though i dont teach my children to be envios too much..maliit na bagay,yes,ok lang yun..gaya nang "kainggit ang buhok nya","ganda ng height nya",at least may compliment sa ibang tao,pero pag malaking bagay na,esp financially status,theirs or others,makakarinig na sila ng critic sa akin.
Ate Ghee: Yup...too much envy leads to jealousy... and un ung di maganda... 
this is a good post 
True, true!
wow. inspirational talk. 
ggrrrr nabura ang first comment ko anyhow ganda ate ng post mo, nakakarelate ang mga nagbabasa.. and tama ung sa envy and jealousy... minsan kasi nararanasan ko din yan.. ingat ka lagi ate.. have a great week!
tina i envy you kasi laging may matutunan sa mga post mo. dahil inexplain mo naman kung ano ibig mo sabihin sa envy, muhang di naman talaga pareo dun sa envy na tinutukoy ng church.
nice read.. oo nga naman.. i didnt realize that envy is the third natural emotion.. that got me into thinking also.. Im not the jealous type but maybe unknowingly I am.. hehe
Wow sis your post is really inspiring.I agree. 
Never thought about envy that way!
Envy and jealousy can be taken into positively. Very nice insights!
aww.. i really like this entry of yours.i certainly agree with this. 
You're right jealousy is the green eyed monster, but envy is a natural emotion, that a mature individual should have good control over.
hay nako.i hate this feeling. i feel this and it sucks.. huhu
A little envy is healthy, but when taken too far it becomes dangerous. Baka pumatay pa ng tao dahil sa inggit. Ay sus.
everything that we feel is normal... they just turn bad in excess.
i see so talagang natural lng na mainggit ?? sabagay it is also one of the reasons why yung ibang tao sbrang nagpupursue sa dreams nila dahil may kinaiinggitan cla and gus2 nila matulad dun.... pwede rin po bang baliktad nauuna yung jealousy bago yung envy???
inggitera pa naman ako.. nyahahha.. pero sa tingin ko healthy pa naman yung sakin.. hehhehe..
I always tell that to my kids, instead of being envious to anybody or for anything, gawin na lang nila itong inspiration .
