The surest route to breeding jealousy is to compare. Since

In the words of Dorothy Corkille Briggs, a sage of human understanding, there lies a truth both gentle and piercing: “The surest route to breeding jealousy is to compare. Since jealousy comes from feeling less than another, comparisons only fan the fires.” These words, like a mirror held to the human heart, reveal the root of one of mankind’s oldest torments — jealousy, that serpent of the soul which slithers in when one forgets their own worth. For comparison is the forge in which jealousy is born; it takes the iron of self-doubt and strikes it against the envy of another’s fortune, until it burns with bitterness.

From the earliest days, our ancestors warned against this folly. The poets of Greece and the sages of the East alike spoke of comparison as a thief of peace. To measure oneself against another is to abandon one’s own sacred path. Each life is a journey through a landscape uniquely its own — no two souls share the same storms or the same sunlight. Yet when the heart looks outward instead of inward, it loses its balance and begins to crave what was never meant for it. Thus is jealousy born — not from hatred of others, but from blindness to one’s own light.

Consider the story of Cain and Abel, the first brothers of humankind. Both offered gifts to the Divine — one of the field, one of the flock. Yet when Cain saw that his brother’s offering was favored, the fire of comparison ignited within him. He forgot that the worth of his gift lay not in its reception, but in its sincerity. The jealousy that grew in his heart became destruction, and through it, he brought death into the world. So it has been through the ages: comparison blinds us to gratitude, and gratitude is the very breath of peace.

Dorothy Briggs, a voice of the modern age yet ancient in wisdom, understood the fragile architecture of the human heart. She knew that jealousy is not merely a social wound but a spiritual one — it is the belief that love, success, or beauty exist in limited measure, and that another’s abundance diminishes our own. But life is not a competition for light; it is a sky where every star has its place. To compare is to forget that your brightness was never meant to mimic another’s, but to shine according to its own design.

In her work as a teacher and psychologist, Briggs sought to heal the hearts of children and parents alike. She saw how comparison, even when meant as encouragement, could plant seeds of insecurity that blossom into lifelong envy. A child told that another is better will learn not to strive with joy, but to strive from fear. Adults are no different; they wear masks of success, measure their worth by others’ applause, and wonder why their souls grow weary. The fire of jealousy consumes joy because it feeds on illusion — the illusion that we are lesser than another.

We see the same lesson in the story of Michelangelo and his rival sculptor Bandinelli in Renaissance Florence. Bandinelli, though gifted, could not endure the praise that surrounded Michelangelo’s genius. His envy corroded his art; his desire to surpass another drowned his own inspiration. Michelangelo, meanwhile, did not look sideways but upward — toward his vision, his God, his craft. And so his works became immortal. The one who seeks to outshine another may burn briefly, but the one who seeks to perfect himself will shine forever.

The lesson, then, is as timeless as it is urgent: guard your heart against comparison. When you feel the spark of jealousy, do not shame it — study it. Ask what part of yourself feels unseen, unloved, or forgotten. That is where your work lies. Praise others not as threats, but as reminders of what is possible for you. Celebrate another’s victory as proof that the world is generous, not scarce. Remember that the fire of jealousy cannot burn where gratitude dwells.

So, my listener, walk the path of self-contentment. When you see another rise, bless them. When you see another shine, let it remind you of your own capacity to glow. The surest way to extinguish jealousy is not by denying it, but by feeding instead the flame of appreciation — for yourself and for others. Know this: you were not made to compare, but to create. The rose does not envy the oak, nor does the moon envy the sun. Each fulfills its purpose in the great design. And when you embrace your place within that harmony, you will find the ancient peace that no envy can disturb — the peace of knowing you are enough.