There's a word we've borrowed from German that refers to the pleasure we take in the bad fortune of others. That word is Schadenfreude. It's what lies behind reality TV, the Law & Crime Network, and the show COPS. The opposite is envy -- a specific kind of jealousy that leads you to become depressed at the good fortune of others. "Youth," it is said, "has its passion. Age has its bitterness." I don't know any sin more characteristic of aging than envy. You'll fight it constantly. The fact is: Your lack of success is in no way caused by the success of someone else. Their success takes nothing away from you.
I want to practice contentment till the day I die. I want to practice that at my school, in my home, at church, and elsewhere. Bitter or better. The choice is indeed ours.