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Old Friday, January 27, 2023
hammadtahir hammadtahir is offline
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Post 2010 Precis

Make a précis of the given passage and suggest a suitable heading.
Of all the characteristics of ordinary human nature envy is the most unfortunate; not only does the envious person wish to inflict misfortune and do so whenever he can with impunity, but he is also himself rendered unhappy by envy. Instead of deriving pleasure from what he has, he derives pain from what others have. If he can, he deprives others of their advantages, which to him is as desirable as it would be to secure the same advantages himself. If this passion is allowed to run riot it becomes fatal to all excellence, and even the most useful exercise of exceptional skill. Why should a medical man go to see his patients in a car when the labourer has to walk to his work? Why should the scientific investigator be allowed to spend his time in a warm room when others have to face the inclemency of the elements? Why should a man who possesses some rare talent of great importance to the world be saved from the drudgery of his own housework? To such questions envy finds no answer. Fortunately, however, there is in human nature a compensating passion, namely that of admiration. Whosoever wishes to increase human happiness must wish to increase admiration and to diminish envy. What cure is there for envy? For the saint there is the cure of selflessness, though even in the case of saints, envy of other saints is by no means impossible. But, leaving saints out of account, the only cure of envy in the case of ordinary men and women is happiness, and the difficulty is that envy is itself a terrible obstacle to happiness. But the envious man may say: “What is the good of telling me that the cure of envy is happiness? I cannot find happiness while I continue to feel envy, and you tell me that I cannot cease to be envious until I find happiness.” But real life is never so logical as this. Merely to realize the cause of one's own envious feeling is to take a long step towards curing them.
Total Words: 348
Precis:
The most hapless feeling a person can have is envy. This feeling eats him up from the inside. Instead of thriving hard for excellence, depriving others of what they have is preferable to him. This emotion would prove dangerous for all skills and excellence if it were not controlled. However, envy can be cured through admiration, selflessness, and happiness. Still, it is difficult for an envious person to admire others. As for mastering selflessness, it is difficult even for the most selfless person. Lastly, the same is true for happiness, as the absence of happiness is the reason for his exasperation. So, the ultimate cure lies in the realisation of the causes of one’s own condition.

Title: Ills and Remedies of Envy
Words in Precis: 116
Required Words: 116
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