I have something that needs to be said. A statement on the human condition and all the ugliness contained therein. In a sentence: it’s ok if other people are jealous of your success.

That being said, heed well this adage if you find yourself in the theater of triumph: watch for those who do not applaud when fortunes smile upon you.

This is no mere observation of absence, but a recognition of the undercurrents swirling within the human heart. Within your circle, there may well be those who begrudge your arrival at the summit before them. Their quiet is fraught with significance. It is not the absence of sound, but a broadcast charged with the dark energies of envy and jealousy. Emotions primordial as the earth itself, as innate to our condition as the very act of breathing.

These shadows can creep upon one unawares, cast by the gleaming success of another, illuminating the void of one’s own unrealized aspirations. Yet, here lies the crux: you must not let these silent broadcasts trouble you. They can wreak havoc upon the mind and the spirit if given purchase.

Remember first that your victories are sovereign. They are the recompense for your own labors, the toil and strife you have borne. To seek the approval of those who withhold their applause is to hand over the reins of your contentment to them.

Rather, seek out your true comrades, those whose cheers are heartfelt and whose presence is steadfast. Moreover, fixating on the unclapping hands will only serve to distract. Your path is defined by the horizon you aim for, not by those who choose not to accompany you.

Yet there is value, too, in noting who fails to clap. It serves as a sort of assay of fellowship, revealing who may falter when the path grows steep and treacherous. And in dismissing the sting of jealousy, you elect to step out of that corrosive game. You become the greater, recognizing that envy is a battle each must wage within themselves, not upon others. 

So, when next you stand in the light of achievement, take a moment to survey the landscape.

Acknowledge the quiet ones, but do not let their silence dim the luster of your success. Your feats lose no grandeur due to the muted few among the throng. Rather, they may testify to your singular ascent—you forge ahead, heedless of the applause or its absence. Keep your eyes fixed upon your own prize, and simply press on. Once more into the fray.

(Josh Beavers is a teacher and writer. He was named as a semifinalist for Louisiana Teacher of the Year in 2020. He has been recognized five times for excellence in opinion writing by the Louisiana Press Association.)