Archbishop Makarios of Australia: “the act of comparing ourselves with others is the thief of all joy”
“The act of comparing ourselves with others is the thief of all joy” notes His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, in his video message on the Instagram social networking site.
His Eminence discerns that constant comparison is a trend in modern times, which deprives many of the possibility of being happy for the charisms or material goods they possess.
“Do not compare what you have with what others may have”, exhorts the Archbishop of Australia in a paternal way, while commenting in conclusion that “a person who cannot rejoice with the few things that they may have, will not be able to rejoice when there is abundance”.
Here is the post with His Eminence’s message:
I have come to the realisation that all of us today ‘compare’ ourselves against one another, even the young children do the same.
A child goes to a neighbour’s house, and even though they may have thousands of toys, they see something that they do not have and want it; and they compare themselves to that other child.
And they return to their parents demanding that they buy that very same toy which they do not have.
Yet the same also occurs with us, adults. We compare ourselves with other people who may have more than us, either financially speaking or from a spiritual perspective. They may have more spiritual gifts than us. I want to say to everyone that the act of comparing ourselves with others is the thief of all joy.
Therefore, do not compare your lives with those of others. Do not compare what you have with what others may have. Learn to be grateful and happy with what you have. Because let me tell you a secret: a person who cannot rejoice with the few things that they may have, will not be able to rejoice when there is abundance.
