THE STORY OF ENVY

Ed literally floated on a cloud of adrenaline down the busy boulevards of Johor Bahru. He’d just been hired by a big tech company, and now he was promoted, evidence of his insistence on hard work and high intelligence. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Adrian, his oldest friend since they’d met at university. ‘Dude, you gotta tell me all about it! How did you do it?’ There was genuine excitement in the message. Ed smiled. Adrian was going to be so surprised. He was going to tell him about the good news.

They’d arranged to meet at the same small neighbourhood café in the centre of town, where Ed poured out his story, hands waving as he told of his triumph. But there was a slight flickering in Adrian’s eyes—a tiny, almost imperceptible shift in the angle of his face. 

‘Good for you, Ed,’ she said, her voice flat. ‘But you know not everyone’s going to be happy for you.’

Ed's excitement stalled. The words hung in the air, unexpected and jarring. He blinked, trying to decipher the underlying message. 

'What do you mean?' he asked, his voice hesitant. 

‘You do need to prepare yourself,’ Adrian concluded, tipping back in his chair. ‘Jealousy can get you where you least expect it. Even among friends. 

Ed’s stomach knotted with dismay. He had always believed in the solidarity of his friends, in the shared elation at one another’s successes. The idea that underneath it all, people he thought closest to him might be tainted with envy rankled.

'But we're friends,' Ed protested, 'We're supposed to be happy for each other.' 

‘We are,’ Adrian said, his tone gentle, ‘but it’s human nature. Sometimes, seeing another succeed can make one feel inadequate, a sort of “why not me?” And it’s not about you, Ed; it’s about them. 

He went on to explain how envy, like other emotions, was a spectrum. It could manifest in subtle ways—a change in demeanour, a veiled critique, or even a withdrawal. Ed had never considered this before—the possibility of his success causing a rift in his relationships. 

Adrian’s words were a wake-up call: He realised that life is like a game of chess. Just as he was climbing the ladder of success, he had to navigate the delicate dance of emotions and the inevitable complexities of human interaction. 

'So what do I do?' Ed asked, his voice laced with newfound apprehension.

‘Be prepared,’ Adrian said. ‘Don’t take it personally. It’s not a competition. Be gracious. Be understanding. If someone is not happy for you, it reflects more on them than on you.’

The afternoon became a somewhat confessional session, filled with advice and introspection. Adrian helped Ed see the promotion less as a personal victory and more as the validation of having worked hard and kept at it. They discussed the importance of recognising when someone's reaction stemmed from envy and learning to navigate those situations with grace and empathy. 

With new awareness, the excitement that Ed had felt on the way home tempered with acceptance. Life would always be like that—always throwing him curve balls—and navigating those human complexities was part of the game. He was grateful for Adrian, who had highlighted the undercurrents of human emotion. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but with it, Ed felt he would be ready to survive the roller-coaster ride of success, with the wisdom and detachment he now felt were rightfully his. He had a long way to go, but he was ready, and now, with new awareness, he would face the challenges, triumphs, and human complexities with open eyes and understanding.

by Kid Haider (Mohamad Khidir Mohamed Yazir)