Rather, envy-in Thomas Aquinas's famous definition-is "sorrow at another's good." Envy enters when, seeing someone else's happiness or success, we feel ourselves called into question. Then, out of the hurt of our wounded self-esteem, we seek to bring the other person down to our level by word or deed. They belittle us by their success, we feel; we should bring them down to their deserved level, envy helps us feel. Full-blown envy, in short, is dejection plus disparagement plus destruction.

Dorothy Sayers summed up envy succinctly. "Envy begins by asking plausibly: `Why should I not enjoy what others enjoy?' and it ends by demanding: `Why should others enjoy what I may not?"'

Os Guinness. The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Kindle Locations 1453-1457). Kindle Edition.