When jealousy become toxic

Once, Buddha said, 'it is not love that is blind, but jealousy.' Today social scientists agree that jealousy is a difficult human emotion that can hold us back from attaining happiness and wellbeing. But, some may think jealousy is a normal human emotion like tasty but unhealthy sauce in food which under certain circumstances can be life-threatening.

According to social- psychology, it can be a sign of insecurity, low self-esteem and is a fear of losing something like a relationship or friendship. So many people are affected and infected with this virus(!) that destroys their ability to think clearly and to justify others normally. This covetous personality makes a situation where a jealous person desires to see a person fail regardless of what their intention is!

People who deal with jealousy may often feel threatened by others. They may also feel that they are in competition with them all the time. Sometimes, persons struggling with jealousy display their own doubts and beliefs to their partners and react with jealousy. Eventually, jealousy can lead to hatred and also destroys the trust in a relationship and leads to more quarrels and disputes. Distrust others, including close ones may become part of their mindset. This can rapidly grow into paranoia and obsession and threaten to destroy the friendly relationship we are most afraid to lose.

Abnormal jealousy, some called pathological or extreme jealousy, may be a sign of an underlying mental health issue. Many of us don't feel the presence of such a disease as they won't even know that they are jealous of someone else. Symptoms of such disease are unnecessary stress, anger, depression, fatigue or sometimes even worse which is argument and fight. Sooner or later, unfortunately it affects the mental health of the individual which subsequently harms the physical wellbeing.

It is about what cannot be seen: feelings, moral values including forgiveness, modesty and kindness, good-deed desire and purpose.

E-mail: rubaiulmurshed@shomman.org