“Mom! He’s not doing what you told him to do!”

When we were kids, my brother and I took turns tattling on each other. When my brother ratted me out it was because he didn’t understand that I was perfect. When I informed our mother of my brother’s wrong doing, it was because I had an impeccable sense of justice. Tattling was how I assisted my mother in making sure her children were treated fairly. I was such a blessing!

My mother often responded to my snitching sessions with, “Just worry about yourself. That’s enough to keep you busy.” That always enraged me. My brother was ‘getting away with’ some immoral act while the noble seeker of goodness and truth (that’s me) was shushed! Not only that, she implied that I actually had issues of my own that needed tending!

So, I can empathize with you. I get it. You think rich people’ are getting away with a great immorality. You’ve run to the government to tattle, “He’s not paying his fair share of taxes!” You’re convinced that someone else’s perceived ‘success’ means you must be getting cheated. I used to do that when I was a child. It made me unhappy.

An older, wiser person said this to me and it has brought me a lot of peace, “Just worry about yourself. That’s enough to keep you busy.”

It took awhile before the wisdom of this advice penetrated my rock-hard head. If you’re like me, you’re going to hold a grudge for awhile. You’re peeved by the suggestion that you’ve got some stuff that needs fixing. It feels good to think you’re making the world a better place by griping about Elon Musk’s finances. Envy is addictive. The more you feed it, the longer it takes jealousy to die.

Reality is hard and if you want to live in it you must learn some hard lessons. First, your sense of justice is imperfect. Second, life is not fair. Third, (buckle up) even if every billionaire on Earth paid taxes until they were penniless, you would still be a miserable human being. You’re not unhappy because other people are rich. You’re unhappy because you’re greedy.

“Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.”

(Job 5:2)