Christopher Columbus's Jealousy

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Jealousy, as defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has. It is very much a feeling of insecurity or inferiority in that one person may be better than another based on how much money they make or what kind of a family they live in. Jealously can be linked to a lack of confidence, and because of this, they become insecure and feel inferior in one way or another. In society and in life, the evidence presented to support this position is pervasive. For example, take the case of Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas in 1492. While Columbus was known for inadvertently discovering America, he was driven to do so out of jealousy of a former traveler, Marco Polo. Marco Polo made plenty of money by going east and trading with Asian merchants. Seeking the …show more content…

When his life started, Napoleon wasn't in any position of much power, and he could only get so far when he tried to increase his power. However, his jealousy took him places he never would have seen otherwise. His envy deeply lowered his self-confidence and prompted him to find ways to get more power. His envy eventually brought him to being the general of the French army, one of the three French Consulates, and eventually the First Consul of France for life. Jealousy, as seen above, is merely a lack of a person's confidence. Had Christopher Columbus not been jealous of Marco Polo's wealth from trade with Asia, Columbus may not have journeyed across uncharted waters to find a shortcut to Asia. Also, if Peter the Great hadn't been envious of the vast wealth in European land, he would have still considered Russia as a competent power in Asia, and Russia may have never been up to date with its rivals. In other words, a person's jealousy is the root of his lack of self-confidence, and therefore the root of his strengthened