The Man Makes

The 47 Virtues / Trait 14 of 24

Secure

Envy is the tax a man pays on a life he never decided to want.

A secure man is not threatened by another man's success. He is not keeping score in a game he never agreed to play.

Insecurity turns every other man into a measuring stick. His friend gets the promotion and something sours. He congratulates with his mouth while his eyes compete. The secure man feels none of that drag, because his worth was never on the table. Another man eating well does not take food off his plate. He can be genuinely glad, and gladness, it turns out, is its own kind of strength.

The Stoic source

Epictetus, Enchiridion 5
Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things.

Translated by George Long

The Scripture

Proverbs 14:30, KJV
A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

The move

Tell one person specifically why their recent win is good — and mean every word. Practice being glad without the hook.