“The test of Ahimsa is the absence of jealousy. Any man may do a good deed or make a good gift on the spur of the moment or under the pressure of some kind of superstition or priestcraft; but the real lover of mankind is he who is jealous of none.”
— Swami Vivekananda
Your colleague migrated to a new country, your friends are in a relationship, your competing business raised more funds, your neighbor’s child scored more marks than yours—sulking over all this will only make you weak and bitter.
Himsa (violence) doesn’t just exist in action; it also exists in word and thought. Even thinking bad thoughts is himsa, not just towards others but towards yourself as well.
If you can’t feel happy for others, you can’t feel happy for yourself (even when good things happen to you). If you can’t love others, you can’t love yourself. If you always dream of pulling others down, you have no space left to push yourself up.
Only when you can overcome jealousy, greed, and anger can you direct your energy towards self-growth. Only when you stop having bad thoughts can you make space for good ones.
From today, when someone shares good news with you, feel happy for them without wishing it happened to you too, and notice the weight that is lifted off your chest. Ask them how they worked for what they got and you’ll get to know the effort that went in, and maybe even take away a thing or two to apply in your own life.