Never feel jealous of someone with whom you wouldn’t want to trade lives

In 2020 I wrote a post called “Never ask advice of someone with whom you wouldn’t want to trade places.”

Today, I came across this tweet:

Envy is an illusion.

The part of the person that we envy doesn’t exist without the rest of that person.

If we aren’t willing to trade places with them completely – their life, their body, their thoughts – then there is nothing to be envious about.

— Naval (@naval) May 3, 2020

As someone who feels jealous a lot, this helps. A common one goes like this: “I’m so jealous of Jerry. He’s can instantly spout off a great answer to a tough question. I have to go off and write about it to process a good response.”

Jealous of Jerry, eh self? Maybe Jerry honed that skill through years of bitter arguing with his now ex-wife. Maybe Jerry’s uses that skill to convince himself to eat more chips, which is why he’s 80 pounds overweight. That make you jealous too?

If you ever want proof that what people present is a prettier version of their lives, become a therapist and Google your patients.

Lori Gottlieb

Other people may not have my problems, but they have their own. And the parts of them I’m jealous of are intertwined with the parts that would make me miserable.

I’ll stick with what I’ve got, thank you.