Envy, Achievement And Education
“Mirror, mirror, tell me something: who is the most beautiful in this country?”
Envy, one of the 7 deadly sins, has always been associated with the bad guys in movies. However, we all know that she is inevitable and that she has surely visited us at some point in our lives.
“Benefits” of envy
Being envious is normal and we could even say that it is healthy, since if we want to have something that another person has and we lack, that can serve as a stimulus to pursue it. The problem is in “killing” out of envy , as Snow White’s stepmother tried to do; or “die” of it, which is what ended up happening to him.
If envy helps us to provoke questions and reevaluate our priorities and choices in life, we can take advantage of it. But if I feel envy and what I want is for the other to lose what he has and I lack, it is impossible for me to use envy to my benefit.
How to avoid it
In one way or another, to put aside envy, a good way may be to start in search of our personal fulfillment. Honestly asking yourself: what makes me feel fulfilled in life? and chasing this answer is a good way not to cultivate envy.
Looking for our personal fulfillment, we transmit values to our children, which will probably lead them to a successful conclusion.
I remember that when I decided not to practice the first profession which I chose, I always thought with great envy of those people who have always done the same activity throughout their lives: like a violinist who begins to play the violin at the age of five and goes on and on. transform into musician. Until, after so much searching, I found something that I had been doing since I was a child and didn’t realize it, and, to my joy, I was able to transform that into a profession.
What happens when we seek our fulfillment, whatever it may be: professional, personal, etc? Does society influence us to abandon this search?
Reality
I remember that when I attended the “open doors” of the school my son was going to, two teachers explained the pedagogy there saying that they sought to present the world as good to the children. A very worried dad raised his hand and said: but the world is not good, how will my son adapt to reality later?
I asked myself silently: But who said that the world is not good? Where is that written? Why are we always saying that children should get used to things from a very young age?
Obviously life is not made only of joys. I chose not to use the word happiness expressly, instead I used realization. The world is built by us. They instill in us the idea, and that starts very early in school, that we have to follow certain scripts, otherwise we will be excluded.
Education experts have already shouted from the rooftops: with the speed at which things change today, it is impossible to foresee what kind of professional the market will demand in a few years, so education should not go in the sense of setting scripts but just the opposite.
The only, or at least, rather successful way to overcome school scripts is to enhance the skills and talents displayed by children. The greatest gift anyone can receive from parents is support to enter this world on the right foot, regarding their place in it.
When one does what is most characteristic of him, there is no crisis that collapses him, there is no situation to which he does not adapt and find a creative outlet. In the book The Element of Sir Ken Robinson, he exposes us exactly this idea.
The author interviewed a large number of people who followed his talents, despite all the difficulties imposed – either by parents, or by school institutions – and who ended up being successful. He gathers examples, mainly of those professions that are most socially devalued, such as artists.
It is a very inspiring book and highly recommended, mainly for those who need to find the necessary inspirational impulse to abandon envy and finally get down to work.
