Interesting that "Don't be jealous" is only one of a variety of translations of this slogan. It probably would be too easy if we only had to address jealousy.
As you write, emotions are an important part of us. We shouldn't suppress them, but we shouldn't indulge in them either. They are messengers which show us where we are on the happy–miserable spectrum.
And emotions are the fuel that helps us in our lives. Curiosity, enthusiasm, playfulness, love – all that spurs us on. Righteous anger at injustice and cruelty is also an important incentive for action. So there are positive emotions in the sense that they urge us to do the right thing. But there are also negative emotions that feed our ego. Pride, jealousy, hatred and their ilk which have their root in a feeling of entitlement (I know, one can be rightfully proud of an achievement; I'm talking about the dangerous pride).
I guess that underneath most of the negative emotions (the ones that feed the ego) lies an unacknowledged sadness. Take jealousy: somebody manages to do or get something that I had wanted to do or get but didn't and now I'm jealous of this person. It's probably not so much that I wanted to do or get something, it is that I thought that achieving this goal would make me happy. We are chasing happiness and we think our happiness depends on owning particular stuff, having a certain job, getting accolades from the right people or being in an exclusive relationship with someone. But nothing of that will make us happy. It is all transient, changeable, bound to end. Deep down we know this, but we fight it. We have to accept this sadness and turn it into compassion.
I have this great antidote to jealousy and envy on a fridge magnet: "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"
Interesting that "Don't be jealous" is only one of a variety of translations of this slogan. It probably would be too easy if we only had to address jealousy.
As you write, emotions are an important part of us. We shouldn't suppress them, but we shouldn't indulge in them either. They are messengers which show us where we are on the happy–miserable spectrum.
And emotions are the fuel that helps us in our lives. Curiosity, enthusiasm, playfulness, love – all that spurs us on. Righteous anger at injustice and cruelty is also an important incentive for action. So there are positive emotions in the sense that they urge us to do the right thing. But there are also negative emotions that feed our ego. Pride, jealousy, hatred and their ilk which have their root in a feeling of entitlement (I know, one can be rightfully proud of an achievement; I'm talking about the dangerous pride).
I guess that underneath most of the negative emotions (the ones that feed the ego) lies an unacknowledged sadness. Take jealousy: somebody manages to do or get something that I had wanted to do or get but didn't and now I'm jealous of this person. It's probably not so much that I wanted to do or get something, it is that I thought that achieving this goal would make me happy. We are chasing happiness and we think our happiness depends on owning particular stuff, having a certain job, getting accolades from the right people or being in an exclusive relationship with someone. But nothing of that will make us happy. It is all transient, changeable, bound to end. Deep down we know this, but we fight it. We have to accept this sadness and turn it into compassion.
I have this great antidote to jealousy and envy on a fridge magnet: "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"