Besides The Dying Fire..

BESIDES THE DYING FIRE..

"You can always see a face in the fire." - Henry David Thoreau 

Life is a wonderful gift. It is said that to appreciate the good one must confront the bad. Similarly, we humans have a tendency to envy those that are doing better than us. Envy is listed in the seven deadly sins of Christian ethics. A person earning a nugget more than another can create this feeling. The two people or parties, entities are termed as Rivals. Now, rivals are the entities that thrive to be possessed by the achievement of some common goal. This cannot be termed jealousy as, by definition, it is reflective of a person's attitude/feelings towards another person whilst envy is a person's attitude towards others 'achievements'. A fire burns in the heart of men that are possessed by this evil.

"The rivalry is with ourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other." - Luciano Pavarotti

In terms of economics, a rival is looked upon as a subtractable good the consumption of which reduces the sales of the other (non-subtractable) good. To be competitive is healthy for any sustainable civilization and it becomes necessary too as it serves as a means of progress. It helps a person to be more progressive and to contribute to the betterment of the self and society. This type of a rivalry is a healthy one, in other words termed as Pro- or Constructive Rivalry. A person flaunts his/her dedication towards the deed and strives to outdo the other, while remaining conscious of personal limitations. The rivals here look up to each other with utmost regard & respect. Usually, such rivalries end on a positive note with both parties gaining the most from it. We must thrive for such kind of practice. 

“Envy is like a fly that passes all the body’s sounder parts, and dwells upon the sores.” – Arthur Chapman

The other kind of rivalry, a more darker version termed as Detrimental Rivalry. This kind of rivalry results in dis-balancing the harmony. Here one entity in enviable of another's persona/achievements. The person gets obsessed in besmirching the other & thus retain its alpha status. This kind of rivalry is most often found. The person burns with anger, which might be primarily induced by its own failures - but the yearning to outdo or rather demolish the other person's achievements fuels the fire & might take a defining turn. The turn might result in increased dedication towards achieving the goal, more self-composure & increased perseverance. The other turn might result in anti-social activities. Everything that has a beginning has an end & this fire has to end sometime too, but not until a conclusion is reached. The adverse effects may result in complete lack of self-confidence, self-reliance i.e. a loss of self. Here the entities are not considered rivals, but opponents. Every step taken by one is considered grim by another. Obviously the 'trust' is lost between the players. Any action taken by one is cross checked over & over again, repeatedly. It is just a matter of time when it becomes a cat & mouse chase. The players, turn restless as they close-in on the goal. Usually there is no logical reason towards hatred as every human is different & has an own way of doing/achieving things. The parties remain oblivious to the good that the other party possesses. 

In every game one party has to win while other is bound to lose. It is how we take our failures that defines our character, our level of maturity. I've elaborated on the latter kind of rivalry as it is this one which results in anti-self activities and later result in the destruction of the person (self). The people that are most benefited from any kind of rivalry are the intermediate ones, the extras of this game who possess no loyalty and possess a selfish motive to warm themselves from this fire. 

But no matter what has been said or expressed, a person never remains the same when the fire of envy dies, for he/she may have found resort somewhere else! THINK!!

“Rivalry is the life of trade, and the death of the trader” - Elbert Hubbard