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As he/she heads out into the world (beginning in kindergarten).
They need to know what envy is and to confront it. That if they see someone do something very well, they should say to themselves, ‘that is something well done. I couldn’t do it. Maybe I could try and do it, but at this point, I can’t.’ And if possible, then go up to the person and tell them so, face to face. And add, ‘thank you for doing something well.’
The envious person resents those who shine.
‘Who do they think they are? They’re showing off. They’re trying to look like they’re better than me.’
To move forward as communities and societies, we need people who connect with the best they have available in themselves and then develop it.
Communities and societies who encourage and facilitate human potential become productive and rich, unafraid to take on what challenges come their way.
Finding our strength becomes our greatest source of solace as we deal with the thousand other difficulties in life.
Sometimes we can find our strength on our own, sometimes we need a little help, like someone saying to us, ‘you do that well. Commit. Fear nothing. Take chances. Move forward.’
We are massively interdependent. Just look around.
I am writing this piece on a desktop. Before that it was a typewriter. Before that, a pencil. None of which I had a clue as to how to produce.
Other people’s abilities have allowed me to attempt and make my contribution.
If I want to research a topic, there are books that contain key information. Books that hold the work others have done. Repositories of ideas that can open paths.
The computer scientist who now heads Chat GPT, was so involved in his work that he neglected a balanced nutrition and developed scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. When he noticed the symptoms about which he knew nothing, he went to see a doctor who ordered the lab work that confirmed the illness and treated it promptly. So Sam Altman healed and went back to continue to advance Artificial Intelligence.
The doctor who diagnosed the illness most likely didn’t know how to do the lab test himself. Someone else had pursued that ability.
Doing something well, or very well, is a fountain of strength that then allows us to better tolerate our imperfections and find our centers. It lets us find our peace.
I once knew a dentist, an accomplished professional, who told me, ‘I’ve been able to do many things well but there was something I really wanted…
