Invidus omnis abest, si prosperitas tibi non est.
(Anonymous)

Every envious person is gone, if you have no success.

(pron = IN-wee-doos OHM-nis AHB-ehst see proh-SPEH-ree-tahs TIH-bee nohn ehst).

Comment: The implication is that the envious person is drawn to successful
people like flies to honey. Maybe so. The word "prosperitas" interests me as
it is constructed of "pro" (on behalf of, in the presence of, in the service
of, on the side of, in lieu of) and the root of the word for "hope" (sperare).
This is perhaps overly simplistic, but the Latin word for propserity or success
is made up of parts that imply that success/prosperity is that which is in
service to hope.

Hope is one of those really nice sounding words. Who could be against hope,
right? It's like being opposed to puppies and kittens. But, puppies and
kittens all sweet and cuddly also make huge messes and require a great deal of
energy when we bring them into our homes.

So does hope. Hope, I am sorry to say, requires more energy than it's worth.
Hopinng requires us to put all of our current energy into what may or may not
happen. It keeps us locked on the future, and in my experiences, when my
energy is locked in the future, it leaves me little to live with right now.

The things we call success (accolades, money, promotions, money, attenion,
money) are all wonderful to have, but they are transitory, and they have a
nervy way of making us worry about--the future. Will I keep these things for
long? Will my success last? In other words, success requires a great deal of
care-taking, too.

Hoplessness is not the alternative. The alternative is being in the present
moment. Being here, now. Enjoying one's breath, the ground one walks on, the
person in front of one, the cup of coffee in one's hand. And strangely, being
in the present moment is a great antidote for envy.