嫉妒的解药
作者：杨瑞
来源：《新东方英语》2017年第01期
If I had a choice when it comes to vice， I’d pick any of the ven classics1） save the vice of envy. At least the other six have a connection to goodness， at least some of the time. Just think of the delicious indulgence of a lazy weekend or surrender to a decadent desrt； the satisfaction of a lustful fantasy or the thrill of pride. Even a passionate fight has something good to recommend it. But to my mind， envy is the deadliest2） of the ven deadlies， and in a category all its own. Envy turns us against ourlves and others. It disturbs peace of mind， fueling shame and guilt. At its root， envy is felt to be so fundamentally bad becau it highlights what is lacking and hates goodness itlf.
Consciously， envy is so painful becau it is bad in a feeling of deprivation. We look at our neighbors and long for what they have， imagining their lives to be so much more beautiful， happy， and satisfying than our own. While an age-old phantom， Shake
speare’s green-eyed monster3） has been unleashed on steroids in our modern culture. Capitalism has cleverly engineered longing and desire， says Eve Ensler4）， tantalizing5） us with offers of what we might have or who we might become in the future rather than embracing the good of what we have and are today. It is no surpri， then， that envy leaves a trail of depression， anxiety， low lf-esteem， poor body image， and perfectionism.
