Envy

Envy is different from the other six deadly sins. It is, unless I am much mistaken, the only one that does not have an enjoyable side. It is all resentment, ill will, and sour grapes. Sometimes the word is used in a way that implies admiration as in “the NHS is the envy of the world”—a common phrase when I was a medical student but one that no longer rings true. In any case, this would be more accurately described as coveting. Envy, did you say? Keep going past coveting and stop just before you reach begrudging.

But, like the other six, envy is a state of mind: it does not require you to do anything. This strikes me as extraordinary, …