3 Tales About Envy

These tales about envy were created so that we can see, in their full extent, the manifestations and effects of this insane emotion.

It is said that envy was the cause of the first murder in sacred history. Cain killed Abel because he couldn’t tolerate God having a preference for him. Many conflicts, and even wars, were born from the envy of rulers or cities.

Envy is the pain that arises for the good of others. It is an emotion that almost everyone has felt at least once in their lives.

It arises when our identity is not very strong and we observe our deprivations through others rather than for ourselves.

Envy can be cured, and there are two ways to do this. The first is compassion: others also have their own needs, their own sufferings, and difficulty in getting what they have.

The second is to recognize that what is ours is also valuable, and that we must strive to get what we want. The tales of envy remind us of these lessons.

1. The first of the tales about envy: the royal peacock

There was a real peacock that was deeply admired by other animals. The sun was just rising and he began to stroll through the fields, proud of his plumage. Everyone was always looking forward to the moment when he would open his fan and show off all his beauty.

They say that one day, some foreign owls arrived at the place. All received them very kindly. The group of owls stayed up late into the night talking. One of them commented that, nearby, there was a golden pheasant, and that she had never seen such a beautiful bird. The others agreed.

The peacock, who was listening to the conversation, could not believe it. Certainly that bird had several defects that the others had not seen. The next morning, he went to look for the pheasant, because he wanted to see it with his own eyes. He ended up getting lost in the forest and was never seen again.

The moral of the first of our tales about envy: those who feel envy think that the merit of others diminishes their own.

2. Who is worse?

The second of the tales about envy says that there was a distant country in which the king wanted to know what was worse: envy or pettiness.

To find out the answer, the ruler sent for the most envious and meanest man in the kingdom. When the two were in front of him, he said, “Each of you can order whatever you want, but I’ll give the other twice as much.”

The petty was very upset. When asking for something, you would also be giving something. Something similar happened to the envious. The petty man then said that he wanted nothing. If he didn’t get anything, the other wouldn’t get it either. The envious man came, and he said, “I wish you would have one of my eyes removed.”

The moral of the story is that an envious person is willing to suffer if, in doing so, he makes the other suffer even more.

3. The History of Crabs

There was a fisherman selling crabs near the beach. He had two buckets in which he kept the animals. However, one of the buckets was covered while the other was not.

Nobody noticed this detail, until a woman approached to see the merchandise and was curious about the difference. She thought that maybe animals had different qualities. So he asked the fisherman the reason for the difference.

The vendor pointed to the bucket that had a lid and said, “These are Japanese crabs.” Pointing to the other bucket, he added: “And these are national crabs.” The woman still had doubts. What did the origin of the animals have to do with the fact that one bucket was covered and the other not?

The fisherman noticed the confusion and was willing to explain: “Japanese crabs escape easily. When one of them tries to get out, the others form a chain and help him, until he manages to escape. Therefore, it is necessary to place a lid on the bucket. In the case of Brazilian crabs, when they see that one is trying to escape, they hold it back so that it can’t”.

The moral of the third tale about envy is that someone who is envious prefers not to achieve anything, so that others cannot either.