Many thanks, Linda, for opening this "door of understanding" about how
envy has been, and still is, such a corrosive force in our society. I
am especially aware of it in the tabloid newspapers and a lot
of "popular culture" TV shows including "Big Brother" and "I'm a
celebrity, get me out of here!", where people are systematically put on
pedestals then "rubbished", apparently to feed a disturbing popular
appetite for envious destructivity.

Sadly we also see much of this destructive "energy wastage" in the
gladiatorial arena of popular politics.

The end result of these patterns is an epidemic of general
disillusionment, bitterness, negativity and misery.

The addictive, short-term gain of destructive expressions of envy is a
reduced feeling of inferiority, maybe even of superiority and possibly
to the point of becoming a self-righteous "God-like" judge and punisher
of others.

The long-term losses include the breakdown of trust, connection,
community, security and peaceful co-existence.

I wonder if the rise in "mindless violence" - such as the street murder
last weekend in Norwich - is an expression of this growth in egocentric
arrogance which is fuelled by the destructive popular culture of envy
and belittlement.

Mike


T--- In cheal@yahoogroups.com, L APPLEBY <l.appleby128@...> wrote:
> Re: Balancing Doom, Gloom & Uncertainty

> Yes, that is further evidence that the world is aligning itself with
Kleinian values.
>
> The envy of consumerism replaced by gratitude.
>
> Linda
>
> lindaappleby128atbt.blog.co.uk
>
> [Moderator Note: The Kleinian psychoanalytic school considers envy to
be crucial in understanding both love and gratitude, see
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleinian_envy_and_gratitude]