Two-headed monster

      What causes people to be so jealous of others? I have never quite understood that emotion.
     Maybe it's because I am the oldest, and I never really felt like I had to compete with my siblings while growing up. I wonder if there is some birth order ranking to jealousy?
     True, I have at times felt what might be a tinge of jealousy for someone who physically is in complete shape (because that is something I want for me). Really I don't think I would consider it jealousy though, but more admiration. I don't feel anger or resentment towards a person who has achieved something in life that also happens to be one of my goals. To the contrary, I often feel inspired!
     I have never understood how people can be angry for someone else's success, nor have I grasped how people in this world truly hold hopes of bad things happening to someone they don't like, or even wanting that person to fail.
     I try to find compassion for those who feel the need to compete with me, for I don't see life as a big contest. I am appreciative to my best friend who keeps reminding me that a person in my life who is acting out is doing so out of jealousy.
     I feel lucky that my parents raised me in a manner that led me to be secure in who I am, flaws and all. So, I don't have to flirt with Jealousy and his ugly twin brother, Insecurity.