Red-eye, bad-mind, and grudgeful

Daniel Thwaites

Careful reflection on the seven deadly sins is among the most rewarding of intellectual pursuits. I confess that I've done far too little of it, but that's because of laziness, which Gregory the Great would have identified as a subspecies of slothfulness. Along with sloth, there is pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony and anger.

Nowadays, the vices are either denied by a shallow relativism regarding value, or, more disturbingly, taken and rebranded as virtues. Pride has become self-esteem; greed is good; lust is lovely; gluttony keeps the economy turning; and anger is assertiveness and self-expression. Envy, though, has been the most difficult to assimilate, and there is a lot of residual shame in admitting to it. Why that is so is itself an interesting question.

But because it's hidden doesn't mean it is any less prevalent. On the contrary, it is everywhere, and once attuned to its workings, you will discover it sneaking around in the strangest of places.

According to Aristotle, Envy "is pain at the good fortune of others". Think about that for a moment! People often feel distress because of a good thing that happens to someone else.

In Jamaica, we himprove Hinglish by breaking envy down into 'red-eye', 'bad-mind' and 'grudgeful', which gives our language an even greater descriptive range. Another time I might comb through the interesting differences in these concepts. But the linguistic richness points to the prevalence of these emotions, which is also reflected in how often it's dealt with by the poets. Consider Chronixx:

Best friend a come fi tek yuh life

A de worst ting yuh could ever see

How can a man weh yuh a par wid from yuh born

Turn roun' be your enemy?

Wi nuh waan nuh fren from dem

Cuz dem heart it full-up a jealousy

A de two a wi used to share a flask a rum

Now yuh waan come kill mi fi Hennessy.

Chronixx says "jealousy", but he's describing envy, a common conflation because they are related emotions. The object of jealousy is something a man already possesses, but envy is for something a man does not have.

Real envy operates not upon those whose luck, skills and gifts are so superior to ours that they are unattainable, but upon those close to us, where we think, "Why not me?" When an acquaintance has some fortune, we feel that the cruel world overlooked us. It's "man weh yuh a par wid from yuh born" who you are most likely to envy, and who are most likely to envy you. We don't envy Queen Elizabeth or Messi, but we are likely to envy our brother-in-law, or, like Chronixx says, our friend affording Hennessy. It is a great leveller, attaching to someone who has broken the line, or moved ahead of his peers.

MAN'S DESIRE FOR INEQUALITY

The earth's goods are distributed very unequally, first by nature, then by mankind. To put it mildly, nature does not distribute beauty, talent, skill, or intellectual quickness in equal measure. Then society amplifies nature's wickedness in distributing wealth, and status and respect. Why? Because as powerful as men's desire for equality is man's desire for inequality.

We want to think that these natural and social goods aren't zero-sum games, and sometimes they are not. Bolt may run fast, but 'Axeman' is a greater fighter, and Alia a better swimmer. So the goods are spread. Plus, we all grow old and weak. Also, social goods aren't limited to only one man or woman, because there are many parties, networks, clubs, and neighbourhoods in which we can each shine.

But sometimes the good things are difficult to share. In our heart of hearts we know that the natural goods are cruelly distributed. Some are born good-looking, and others are Gollums and garden trolls. Plus, social status, though available for many in a well-ordered society, isn't available to everyone. When all is said and done, there can only be few leaders of the field in politics, business, art, surgery, research, etc. The hard truth is that many of us must stand back and acknowledge that there is an elite in almost all fields.

Of course, envy can have a political dimension, particularly when stoked into generalised resentment. If greed is the great vice and engine of capitalist economic and social organisation, envy is the vice of leftist politics. Personally, I find envy far more interesting, particularly in how it relates to, and perverts, justice.

In fact, putting on the robes of justice is a common disguise for envy. How is that possible? The uneven and haphazard distribution of life's goods can cause envy or can excite a desire for justice. Both gain momentum because of the cruelty of fortune and a desire to redress the imbalance. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish which one is looking at. If not brother and sister, they are definitely first cousins. So close, but from motives, so different!

One searing criticism of Marxism is that behind the elaborate economic theory and complex historiography is, in practice, a spectacular call to collective envy and vengeance. Indeed, in its purest form, envy assumes its own logic. It takes leave of the desire to be at least equal to one's peers, and seeks total destruction of the irritant.

That's why this old joke is always worth repeating. A genie appears to three men and grants them one wish. The Englishman says, "My friend has the loveliest cottage in the countryside. I want one, slightly larger." The Frenchman says, "I want an even sexier mistress than my friend has, with longer legs and rounder breasts, and more lustful appetites." It's the Russian's turn: "My friend has a cow. It gives enormous pails of milk that makes the finest cream and amazing butter. He harnesses it to the plough and it never tires. Genie, I vant zat cow ... dead!"

My question: What would the Jamaican ask for?

Daniel Thwaites is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.