The Use of Gentle Mockery

179. Why the Most Imperfect Tend to Be the Most Mocking

Those with very apparent flaws—such as being lame, one-eyed, hunchbacked, or having suffered some public disgrace—are particularly inclined to mockery.

This is because they wish to see others as disgraced as they are.

They take pleasure in the misfortunes of others and considering them deserving of such misfortunes.

180. The Use of Gentle Mockery

Modest mockery usefully criticizes vices by making them appear ridiculous without laughing oneself or showing any hatred toward the individuals.

But it is really a quality of an honorable person and not a passion.

This type of mockery reflects the cheerfulness of their disposition and the tranquility of their soul, both of which are signs of virtue.

It often also demonstrates the wit of the individual, as they know how to present a pleasant appearance to the subjects of their mockery.

181. The Use of Laughter in Mockery

It is not inappropriate to laugh when hearing the mockery of another.

Such mockery can sometimes be so well-crafted that not laughing would seem sullen.

However, when one is the one mocking, it is more appropriate to refrain from laughing.

This ensures one does not appear surprised by what they are saying or overly admiring of their own cleverness in inventing it.

This restraint makes the mockery all the more surprising to those who hear it.

182. Envy

Envy is a vice rooted in a perversity of nature. It causes certain people to be distressed by the good fortune of others.

However, envy is not always a vice.

Envy, as a passion, is a form of sadness mixed with hatred. It arises from the perception that someone receives good fortune that they do not deserve.

Such judgments can only reasonably apply to material goods. This is because the goods of the soul or body are innate.

And so, they are deserved simply by being gifts from God before the recipient was capable of committing any wrong.

183. When Envy Is Just or Unjust

We feel envy when fortune bestows goods on someone who is truly unworthy.

This is only because we naturally love justice and are upset by its absence in the distribution of these goods.

Such envy may be excusable.

This is especially true when the good in question could turn into harm in the hands of the unworthy—such as a position or office in which they might behave poorly.

Even when we desire the same good for ourselves but are prevented from obtaining it because it is possessed by less worthy individuals, this passion becomes more intense but can still be excusable, provided the hatred it contains is directed solely at the unjust distribution of the good and not at the individuals who possess or distribute it.

However, few are so just and generous as to harbor no resentment toward those who surpass them in acquiring a good they desired for themselves, even if those who acquire it are as or more deserving.

The most envied good is glory.

The glory of others does not prevent us from aspiring to glory ourselves. The glory of others makes attaining it more challenging and increases its perceived value.

184. Why the Envious Tend to Have a Sallow Complexion

Among vices, envy is the most detrimental to human happiness.

Not only do the envious distress themselves, but they also do everything in their power to disrupt the pleasure of others.

They often have a sallow complexion—pale, tinged with yellow and black, resembling bruised blood. This is why envy is called livor in Latin.

This aligns well with what has been said earlier about the movements of blood in sadness and hatred.

Hatred causes yellow bile, from the lower part of the liver, and black bile, from the spleen, to spread from the heart through the arteries into all the veins. Sadness, in turn, reduces the warmth of the venous blood and slows its flow, leading to a livid color.

However, since bile—yellow and black—can enter the veins for many other reasons, and since envy does not produce these in sufficient quantities to change one’s complexion unless it is extreme and long-lasting, one should not assume that everyone with such a complexion is inclined to envy.