Green Eyed Monster

"O beware my Lord of jealousy; it is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on..."

Hey guys!
How are you today and how's preparation for the Easter celebration? A lot of people have travelled home over here leaving me behind *sadmuch* Can you guys imagine that my dad told me to stay back in calabar?what did I do to that man :/
Anyway as you may have noticed from the excerpt above, I have a very interesting topic to talk to you about, so sit back,relax and enjoy reading.
Jealousy or the green eyed monster as it is called by Shakespeare, is unarguably one of the things killing us gradually and destroying our relationships in the world today.

It is often used interchangeably with envy but they are actually slightly different.
Jealousy according to the Oxford dictionary is a feeling or showing an envious resentment of someone or their achievements,possessions or perceived advantages. It is also the feeling or showing a resentful suspicion that one's partner is attracted or involved with someone else.
Envy on the other hand is a feeling of discontent or resentful longing aroused by someone else's qualities or luck.
Jealousy is majorly caused by insecurities and low self esteem and this is the more reason why we need to constantly work on ourselves before we become victims of the green eyed monster.
Now one thing we need to note is that as bad as jealousy might seem, it has it's positive impacts but when it appears this way,it is called inspiration.
The green eyed monster is virtually everywhere today but I will be talking about a few places where it is mostly found.

• In the workplace: This is an environment where everybody is striving to be the best at all cost, even the person you call your friend will accept a higher position than you without flinching,they say it's 'healthy competition'.
  
  Lets face it, jealousy is bound to occur in this situation but should only serve as a drive and inspiration to make you work harder and nothing more. When jealousy starts to lead you to sabotage someone's career,you need to draw the line because it will bring about nothing but the toppling of your own career and then you'll come off as un-professional. You really don't want that.
• In friendship: This is also very common. It starts from petty things like competing for attention and that's where you'll hear things like 'you spend more time with your other friends than with me,I thought we were best friends?' to bigger things like being jealous of your friend's successes,boyfriends,husbands,etc.
  
  Some people are wise enough to tame it from the very moment they realize it and they are able to overcome it, some others allow it to eat deep into their friendship,allow it to take over and then end it finally. This could be very hurtful because it only ends in betrayal. To overcome it,you need to accept the fact that you're jealous and it shouldn't be. If your friend is breaking through and getting good attention from people, relax there's no need to be jealous,be happy for him/her because your time will come. As regards how you're feeling,bask in that happiness for a while and you'll find out that there was no need for the jealousy in the first place because only good vibes will be coming your way. True friendship shouldn't end over something so stupid as jealousy.
• In relationships/marriages: This is probably the most common and inevitable one. 

The other day I was out with my friend,and halfway into our meal,we a heard the guy that was beside our table shouting over the phone. I wasn't even paying attention initially but because he was really shouting I heard all he was saying.
This guy was asking the person at the other end of the line that who was the person talking to because he has been calling since. Now initially i thought to myself that the person could a female or male, but with the way this guy was barking I just concluded that it must be a lady who is probably his girlfriend.
This guy went on and on about how he didn't care about who the person was talking to and that he didn't want to hear anything again. He also said the person should come right away to where he was at that moment. He said some other things that were just nasty and rude. Yeah I know what you'll say 'that person could have been anybody' I know too but let's just go with girlfriend for now shall we?
Some people are overly insecure and this in turn affects their relationships badly to a point of no redemption. Jealousy in relationships can come in two forms. Firstly and most commonly, it could be that someone is coming close to your partner and you don't like it,guess what?it's absolutely normal. It only means you don't want to lose your partner to another person,but instead of talking it out, you decide to jump into conclusion that your partner is probably cheating and then you start the accusations when all you should have done is discuss with your partner,openly state your fears and concerns and admit that you're jealous. Trust me when I say nobody wants a passive partner, we all want somebody who cares and shows it. A little jealousy don't hurt no relationship,so when you talk it out,you'll find out that your partner thinks it's even sweet that you care that much and from there,you'll notice that your relationship will be strengthened. It is important that you don't become that person who shouts and points fingers uneccessarily. You need to know that as important as you are to your partner,there are other things that are also important so give your partner space to accomplish those things,don't choke them and don't nag.
Partners are also sometimes threatened by the success of their better half. This is a no-no. You won't know when you'll start getting jealous of the person you love,this shouldn't be. If your partner is climbing up the ladder a little faster than you,there's no need to look for ways to bring him/her down,it's not even a competition because their success is your success so why would you want to ruin that?
Literature scholars are of the opinion that when Shakespeare was talking about the green eyed monster,he was imagining a cat with its giant green eyes which delights in mocking its victim before devouring it.
The simple interpretation of this is that jealousy has a way of messing with the mind of a person and that is why he becomes suspicious of every little move the other person makes. This is only setting the stage for when it will consume him completely and turn him to someone else entirely.
I'm pretty sure that so much hate In the body is definitely not good,why not try something else that doesn't involve jealousy,anger and pettiness.
"Anger,resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others...It only changes yours"- Shannon L. Alder

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P.s- Can anybody guess which of Shakespeare's books I got that excerpt from? I might have a lil something for you, bonus for anybody who gets what act,scene and who said it. Oh and it's just for anybody who gets it first..xoxo