Contentment is priceless

NOT ALL GOOD IS ENVIABLE

We often assume that what is good must also be desirable, that virtue, success, or happiness in others should naturally inspire envy. Unfortunately, not all that is good is enviable, and not all that is envied is truly good. A leader can gain power through unethical and shady means; a man can acquire wealth in questionable manners. These seemingly enviable blessings, though admirable from afar, may carry burdens too heavy for someone else to bear.

What we covet is often not the reality but the illusion, the polished surface of a life we do not fully see. Even goodness itself can be a weight. The saintly person, devoted to selflessness, may endure loneliness; the brilliant mind, celebrated for deep wisdom, and insights, may wrestle with isolation. The very qualities we admire can make their bearers untouchable, set apart by the very virtues we claim to desire.

The fact that we envy a thing does not justify its worth, envy magnifies what we do not have, and minimizes what we have. True wisdom lies in discerning not just the shine of another man's life, but its substance. The good is not always enviable, and the enviable is not always good. The real measure of contentment is not in wanting what others have, but in understanding what they have given up to have it. Some, their peace, others their values.

The only good worth coveting is the one that brings no hidden sorrow, the kind that nourishes us without draining us, that uplifts us without isolating us, and shines our light without blinding others. It is good to desire good things, but not all good are enviable. You may not be ready to pay the price, or face the consequences of what you envy in others.

To a better you, Kamikun John.