The Value of Jealousy: A Path to your Heart’s Desire

In 2013, Bloomberg Businessweek began publishing their annual Jealousy List. It is a list of articles published by other media outlets during the year that they wish they had tackled themselves, yet still did not want their readers to miss. As I read through the list for 2016, I realized what a gift they were giving to their readers. The stories were funny, poignant, informative, interesting, unusual, and above all, well-written. Bloomberg calls it a “painful, happy tradition.” This list represents the value of jealousy.

Jealousy is often villainized, and has been for centuries. Shakespeare even gave it a lasting form in our minds and our culture when, in Othello, he referred to jealousy as “the green-eyed monster.” It is called a relationship killer and the enemy of personal growth and happiness. It is true that jealousy can make us unhappy and cause us to behave in destructive ways, but there is another side to the emotion.

Bloomberg’s Jealousy List included a story about Petro, a sleek black cat who lived the life of an ordinary house cat for 10 years until jealousy opened the door to a new way of life for him, his owners and the people of the neighborhood. When he was 10, his owners had a baby.

Petro was jealous. There was not enough attention left for him, so he decided to seek it elsewhere. He began by visiting the upstairs neighbors, then he ventured out the window and onto the sidewalk to demand attention from passers-by. At 13, he is now a celebrity who delights children, greets strangers, visits friends and entertains all who are willing to pay attention.