Irish Begrudgery

Begrudgery is something that comes naturally to us Irish people. For some reason we find it incredibly difficult to be happy for anyone else’s success. We’re known as the ‘generous’ nationality, but when it comes to being happy for anyone else, we’re the very opposite of generous.
I’m not entirely sure what it is. You’d assume jealousy is the root, but I think it has got to be more than that. I think it has more to do with the fact that someone else’s success shines a direct light on our own short-comings. It shows us that we’re clearly not willing to work hard enough to attain such success, and so we cope with that by gossiping, and spreading rumors about those of us who are successful.
We tend to externalize the reasons for why we are not where we want to be in life, rather than accepting that we probably just have a poor work ethic, or ambition, or anything else that is internal to us rather than outside of us. It’s easy to blame the world for your hardship, but it doesn’t make it true either.
I’m writing this because I often find myself begrudging others. I respond to news of success with comments that imply a flaw in character of that person: “He’s a dickhead”, “She’s so fake” etc. This reflects more on my fixation on how everyone else is doing, and my inability to stop comparing myself to others, than it actually says about the people who are succeeding.
We’re Irish. We begrudge because we’re insecure. However, the low of attraction dictates that the energy you put out is the energy you receive. You can either continue to a begrudger and continue to be disappointed with where you are, or you can learn to be happy for those around you, and see what comes your way then.