Here’s a West African folktale about greed, avarice, and envy. I’m sharing it because I see a lot of people feeling envy around the success of others - those who have larger houses, more money, or seemingly-happier lives. This is a tale I heard during my childhood - and I’ll share my perceptions of the true value of this story at the end of the post.

Greed Makes a New Friend

One day an old beggar was walking down the street. He knew that the people on the street were wealthy, and he wondered if they were content with what they had. It always seems that the rich want more.

This beggar began to preach about a man who lived in a fine green house. He said, “Inside this house lived a rich man. What do you think the man did? He bought a big ship and filled it full of things he hoped to sell in another country so he could make more money.

What happened?

A storm blew, and sank the ship.

So all he had was lost at sea. He became a poor man.

The beggar told another tale, about a rich neighbor of the man who lived in the fine green house. Not satisfied with what he had, the man took up gambling, and lost everything.

Just as the beggar finished the tale, the Power-that-Makes-People-Rich appeared. The beggar was amazed and delighted. 

The supernatural being said, “I’ve been waiting a long time to help you. Take these gold coins that I’ve been keeping for you. Open your bag, throw everything out, and fill it with these gold coins.

“If one of these coins falls to the ground, all of them will turn to dust. Remember that your bag is old, and you shouldn’t put more in it than it can hold.”

The beggar was thrilled, yet as he filled the bag, he felt disatisfied.

“Is your bag strong enough to hold more?” she asked.

“Yes. yes,” he replied. “I want more.”

So the being gave him more coins, and more, and more. The bag burst, and all the coins turned to dust. The Power then left, and the beggar was left with an empty bag…far less than he had before the encounter.

Naturally, it was greed which cost the beggar everything - but the foundation of the story is envy. A most destructive emotion, envy can be crippling. When you feel envy toward the success of others, it puts you in a place of powerlessness and inaction.

When you see someone get what you want, instead of saying how much you wish you were like that person or how much you want their life, change your way of seeing and thinking - become positive, which will in turn get rid of the envy.

When you see someone who has everything that you want, instead of wishing you were them, be grateful to the Universe for giving you a sign that you are also able to have those things. Be happy for them. Think how great it will be when it all comes to you as well. Steer away from the envy and turn your attention to thanking the Universe. Reach for the feeling of having those things, and know that you will get just what you asked for as well - as long as the negativity of greed and envy are removed from the equation.

The moral of the story? Here’s what I think…

If you believe that the wealthy are bad and you envy them, you can never become wealthy. As you don’t want to become bad and envied, your subconscious mind will keep you poor. It does not matter how hard you try, you will not become wealthy.

What’s your opinion? Share it with us…let’s get a dialog going about envy, greed, and the true path to success: blessing the achievements and wealth of others.