If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand (Mark 3:24).
Envy is an especially ugly sin.
Every person has right to their good name so long as they have not acted unworthily in a public and notorious manner and relinquished it. The most frequent cause of defamation, detraction and slander is envy.
Silence can propagate slander. In other instances, commenting on unsubstantiated rumors is a real injustice against the good name of another. When defamation spreads through social media outlets, its diffusion vastly increases. Hence the gravity of envy.
Not only to individuals have a right to their good name, but so do groups of peoples and institutions.
- How do we speak about others?
- Do we speak about others differently when they are not present?
- When we do speak critically, what motivates our words?
My parents fiercely sought to root out envy and I hear their instruction anew: if you cannot say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.
