How the Devil Uses Envy

Amusing story about how best to corrupt someone:

The Devil was once crossing a desert and came upon a remote spot where a holy hermit was being tormented by a some demons trying to disturb his equanimity. They tried the smells of tasty food and drink, offered him wealth and sexual pleasures, but the hermit easily shook off their sinful suggestions. For awhile the Devil watched them fail and then stepped forward to teach them a lesson.

“What you’re doing is too crude,” he said. “Permit me to try.”

With that he leaned over and whispered in the holy man’s ear, “Your brother has just been named Bishop of Alexandria.” A scowl of malignant envy at once came over the formerly serene face of the hermit.

“That,” said the Devil to his demon colleagues, “is the method I would recommend.”

Related: My Open College podcast, Envy’s Moral-Psychological Challenge.

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