Envy, The cow and the pig

We often find people grumbling and having a low opinion towards life and instead of aligning it to the correct path we enhance it through negative thoughts and hence enervate their will and enthusiasm. But if we see deep inside and engage in soulsearching we would find some of the feelings responsible for this. These are envy towards anybody within our social group and having a desire of amashing materialistic aspects of life which fill us with feelings like: if he can have it, why can't i? and .......so many of them.
So i found these two stories which according to me are appropriate in the given context.
This is the first story-
Centuries ago in the country of Greece there was a young athlete who had so distinguished himself in the public games that his fellow citizens raised a statue in his honor, to keep fresh the memory of his victories. This statue so excited the envy of another athlete who had been defeated in the races, that one night he went out under cover of darkness with the intention of destroying that statue and knocking it to pieces. First he tried and tried to tip over the statue. He tugged and pulled and shoved... and after an hour it moved just a little bit. This encouraged him and he gave one mighty push and the statue fell -- on top of him, and killed him. Envy always harms the one who is guilty of it.

The second story goes like this-
A rich man complained to his friend: "People don't like me. They say I'm selfish and stingy. And yet in my last will and testament I have donated all that I own to charitable cause." His friend said: "Well, maybe the story of the cow and the pig has a lesson for you.""The pig came to the cow and complained: 'People always talk about your friendliness. I know you are friendly, you do give them milk. But they get much, much more from me. They get ham and bacon and lard and they even cook my feet. And yet - no one likes me. To all of them I am just a pig, a hog.
Why is that?'
The cow thought it over a bit and then said: 'Perhaps it's because I give while I am still alive!'"


Did it ever occur to you that when you envy somebody or you are jealous of somebody, that this does not hurt that person in any way... He or she does not feel it at all... It only hurts you: it eats your insides out... So, you see, that it is a useless, self-destructive exercise.
As Ben Sirach says in the Old Testament "Envy and anger shorten one's life."