While it is wrong to covet another person’s material wealth, it is permitted, even encouraged, to yearn for another man’s spiritual virtue. We should be inspired by the goodness of other people and strive to emulate them. We should save our greed for the spiritual riches of life.
So when you see someone who has something you want, whether it is a material possession or a social success, whether they dress in beautiful clothes or have an interesting job, try to think about what they may have done to deserve this. You may well find that the other person, who at first seemed no better than you, actually has qualities of character that you could do well to emulate. Perhaps he or she is especially hardworking, and saves carefully for their nice things. Perhaps they are popular socially because they are very generous or sympathetic, and people like being around them. Perhaps they save hard and make their own clothes. Perhaps they have worked conscientiously to develop their minds so that they can contribute a lot to their interesting job.
And perhaps you could do just as well as them if you put your mind to it. So don’t covet what they have in terms of possessions – envy instead their good qualities, and develop your own. Not only are you more likely to succeed, but you will be far more attractive to the opposite sex.
