The power of sin

I have stumbled upon a new justification for excessive altruism. Jealousy. By going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that everyone we know, both our friends and our enemies, maximise their own potential we can create the conditions for stirring jealousy within ourselves.

Now jealousy happens, it’s human and no amount of bible bashing is ever going to make it go away. I personally get jealous all the time. If someone I happen to consider a complete berk achieves something that has long eluded me, or I hear rumours that someone I’m not overly keen on is doing well – I get jealous. It even happens with my best friends. If a best friend lands a fantastic job that involves travelling around the world, fighting poverty, speaking a thousand different languages and getting paid an hourly wage equivalent to several small villas in Florida – I am of course going to be thrilled for them. I’ll buy them a drink, wish them well and genuinely be happy. But there will always be a little voice in the back of my head, which while in no way detracting from heart felt happiness for them, will always say, ‘heck – why aren’t I doing that well?’

Now I am not going to comment on the morality of all this, but I happen to find that little voice quite motivating. Far from going home and having a good old-fashioned cry that I have committed sin simply by being human I tend to go home, clear my desk and redouble my efforts. I don’t think this is as a malicious or destructive a motivating force as it seems, nor do I think a mild bout of jealousy from time to time is destined to forever make a person unhappy. In my darkest hours when nothing seems worth it and throwing in the towel seems like the only way out, I often find myself drawing on this force to drive me onwards. The mental image of wiping the smile off my rivals smug, fat little face can do wonders for my motivation levels.

So well in fact that it becomes helpful to assist these smug little fat fellers in doing well, just so it gives me a target to aim for myself.

It’s not something I’m particularly proud of. But I can see it doing no harm to anyone.

I guess assisting others just so I can aim to overtake them at a later date doesn’t actually qualify as altruism at all now does it? Oh well.

I’m happy being a bastard.