Envy Vs. Anger

At first glance envy and anger seem to be simple emotions that one encounters in life. It is not until one looks at the heart of these two deadly vices that one can see their impact on others and society. Envy goes beyond the surface of “wanting” something that belongs to someone else to the core of wishing or actually harming another because you feel they have or are receiving what should belong to you. The fundamental attitude of the envious is directly opposed to love. To love is to seek others’ good and rejoice when they have it. To envy is to destroy others’ good and sorrow over their having it (DeYoung, 2009, p.51). Proverbs 14:30 states, “A sound heart is life to the body. But envy is rottenness to the bones” (New King James
When it is good, anger is a passion for justice, motivated by love for others. Anger turns vicious, however, when it fights for its own selfish cause, not for justice, and when it fights dirty (DeYoung, 2009, pg. 121-122). When anger is used as a motivation to help those who are hurting or have been wronged the anger response it out of love, not for oneself, but for others. When anger is used for selfish reasons to hurt others love is no longer in the equation. Ecclesiastes 7:9 states, “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of
In society today, envy and anger run rampant among people. Those with envy and anger show their hatred toward the world in many ways, including mass shootings and harming others both physically and mentally. Taking the lives of innocent people has become commonplace. In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus describes the greatest commandment by stating, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If one cannot love oneself, one will never be able to love their