Does jealousy serve a purpose?

see wikipedia on jealousy. just checked it yesterday to get a feel for a part i have to play in a play about cain and abel. very informative.

Jealousy seems like a degradation or misdirection of something useful. When you see something good done that you can’t do, you immediately become interested and that interest can lead to learning. I think jealousy is when you see something good to be that you can’t be, and your interest is misdirected and gets stunted, turning into frustration. I think jealousy is the insecurity a person feels in their status based on the grandiose perception of the statuses of others. In healthier groups where the social status of an individual is considered mostly superficial, jealousy seems less likely.

Yeah it keeps the florists in business.

Personally I see it as something destructive and self-poisoning! However, in some extreme cases, a small amount of jealousy can, if kept in check, help motivate some people to do something better as they may try to reach the level of the person they are jealous of.

Jealousy of a person serves to aquire power.
Jealousy of things that are unattainable is obviously useless and counterproductive.
Jealousy of a positive attribute can be the first step to self-improvement.

Take your pick.

I’m going to have to look up jealousy. I would refer to much of the above posts to be envy. I think all emotions can be both positive and negative. I think I’m hard wired jealous and it’s not all that pleasant.

I think jealousy serves the purpose of posing an oppertunity to hone your own humility.