We love hearing about ENVY from different perspectives.  Religious scholars and theologians from many traditions have often contemplated the subject and how ENVY fits into our humanity.  This Cincinnati priest discusses ENVY in terms of the Catholic tradition.

ENVY is as Common as Love or Anger

Are hope and gratitude the antidotes to what Father Guntzelman calls a poison?

Chilling words from “Finding Melissa.”  This beautifully written blog post that Julia came across reminds us why it is so important to explore ENVY and its consequences.  How many lives can be healed, reclaimed, and transformed by delving into the depths and bringing light to the darker sides of our human nature?

[Photo by Barbara Rick]

The Curse of the Best Actress Oscar?

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Join our groundbreaking new project-in-progress, ENVY the documentary, with a donation of $10, $25, $50 or more. This bold, insightful, humorous film and interactive initiative will explore the causes and consequences of the most corrosive human emotion: ENVY.

Here’s a sneak preview of our first ENVY teaser!

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From Matt Hoverman, whose participation in ENVY the documentary inspired him to create the magnificent ENVY Ed:

As a playwright, I’ve always been attracted to myth and archetype.  As an actor, I’ve always loved mask work and commedia. And as a 41 year old adolescent, I’m a big fan of comic books.  What these imaginative strains all share is the opportunity to externalize, personify and comically exaggerate a human tendency or character defect.

I know I have many of these little characters in me, and most aren’t pretty.  I picture the envious side of myself as a squat, bilious, unhappy little creature (named ENVY Ed) – who carries in his sallow little heart what John Lithgow once said, “It’s not enough for you to succeed- your best friends must fail.”

That part of me is forever dwelling on the unearned glories of others and his own unlucky misfortunes, and though he can fake a smile at someone else’s success, he’s always got a sharp knife waiting behind his back.  I find that fighting a part of myself like that only makes him grow.  But when I find a way to lovingly laugh at his absurdity, his power over me fades.

Amazing, Matt.  Thank you!

www.createyourownsoloshow.com

As a New Yorker who is (barely) under the age of 25, I was of course nervous about diving into this list of young men and women who have already accomplished such feats as being published in The New Yorker, earning Oscar nominations, and working as editors of magazines and websites before their 26th birthdays. I knew, however, that I could not pass up taking a look.

The first sentences speak volumes. “What have you done with your life? What white lies, what little exaggerations do you tell yourself and your parents about your fancy life here in the big city?”

Whenever I speak to anyone from my hometown, I’m always surprised by how impressed they are with the fact that I live in New York. “Oh wow, New York! How exciting! You must really be living the dream down there. Is it just like TV and the movies?” It’s a nice feeling, to be honest, and I do kind of like the idea of other young people envying me for the fact that I live in such an exciting place. Of course, this means that I usually have to leave out the details of paying too much for rent, living in an apartment that’s about the size of a closet, working three jobs, and a romantic life that falls somewhere in between “pathetic” and “non-existent.”

The opening sentences of this article struck a little bit close to home, and seeing these successful young men and women staring at me from my computer screen was not exactly what I would call a pleasant experience. At first, I couldn’t make it past number 6 before I had to walk away and do something else to distract me from stewing in my ENVY of Simon Rich, Frank Rich’s 25 year-old son who has already been published in The New Yorker and works as a writer for SNL.

But upon further reading, the article ended up being a bit cathartic. The authors of the article did not merely put out a list of successful young people, but they specifically picked people they envied; and not only that, they encouraged their audiences to embrace their ENVY, wallow in it, then turn it into something positive by using it for motivation. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think that there was something therapeutic in that. The article, which is written in first person in several places, made ENVY a communal issue. It made it clear that it wasn’t just me who felt pained at reading about others’ quarter-life success, but an entire group of people.

It was a great experience as we continue to work on ENVY the documentary and really made me realize the merits of talking openly about the subject. So many people agonize over their ENVY, but taboo and self-consciousness keep them from really talking candidly about it. Once you’re able to own it, though, and admit “I ENVY,” it really is comforting how many people say “me too.”

To continue with the metaphor I used in Tuesday’s post, the sharks not only smell the blood in the water, they’ve found the victim and gone in for the kill.

Twitter is atwitter (and facebook, youtube, and blogosphere as well) with musical spoofs of Tiger’s voicemail to his mistress and last week’s 911 call.   A video mashup is also making the rounds, which combines images from Tiger’s accident with the music video for Jazmine Sullivan’s jaded-woman anthem, “Bust the Windows Out Your Car.”

In case there was any doubt that people are taking pleasure in Tiger’s misfortune, there’s your proof.

The Tiger situation is certainly nothing new.  America’s obsession with celebrities and the pseudo-celebrities of reality TV certainly breeds this sort of schadenfreude.  It’s a topic that we’re discussing a lot at Out of The Blue and we’re very much looking forward to pursuing on the path to ENVY the Documentary.

We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Even the best athletes have their fair share of naysayers and detractors, anti-fans who are often motivated none-too-subtly by ENVY.  Sure I call Kobe Bryant a selfish, overrated weasel, but deep down I know that it’s only because he’s a talented basketball player who just happens to fall on the opposite side of a Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

Things were different with Tiger, though.  He was too good even for the enviers –  not only because golf is notably lacking the same kind of rivalry that exists in other American sports – but because he was an icon.  Tiger was a glistening, pristine symbol of the American sports dream.  He got to where he was through talent and hard work, had a great family and beautiful children, and always seemed like a normal guy who was just really, really good at golf.

The money, the beautiful family, the mansions… Tiger woods had it all, but the ENVY was seemingly kept at bay.  He had earned everyone’s respect to the point that any criticism simply seemed petty, tacky, and unfounded.

Then came the accident.

There’s blood in the water.  And the sharks can smell it.

The media and the public are gripped by the story and the speculations about possible domestic controversy (fueled, notably, by the Woods’ silence and refusal to meet with police) are running rampant.  But why?

Everyone seems to be salivating at the idea that golf’s golden boy may have some cracks in his armor.  Could the non-stop coverage of Woods’s accident and alleged marital problems be schadenfreude at its best?  Deep down, were people just waiting for the mighty to fall?

Perhaps there was more ENVY of golf’s golden boy in all of us than we had been willing to admit.

One of the most recognizable side effects of ENVY is the desire to detract from another’s success, the need to attack the person who possesses that which you want.  Now, for the first time, the public really seems to have an excuse to do that to Woods and judging by the headlines and images strewn across tabloid front pages and blogs, they’re seizing it.

No one’s perfect.  Not even Tiger, it seems.

And that little tinge of satisfaction that comes along with reading that line (and writing it, I’ll admit)?  That might just be schadenfreude at its sneakiest…

Tell me about the deepest, darkest, most confusing and painful parts of the creative process for you.

Thank you, Katie Cadigan!  Check out Katie’s work at http://www.imagereal.com