This week I was reading an article and I realized I have been inflicted with Schadenfreude. Before you offer me your condolences, you might need to check yourself. I think many of us have experienced it before. Schadenfreude is a German word that that means pleasure that is derived from the misfortunes of others. It might be the giggle we get from the YouTube video of the woman falling while stomping grapes or the sense of satisfaction when our favorite team’s biggest rival suffers an injury. I know at times I have been happier about an enemy’s failure rather than my own success. So what causes this condition? Researchers studying this reaction have discovered that it is related to envy. A brain-scanning study shows that the Schadenfreude response is located in the same part of the brain as the envy response. We covet other’s success or achievement and enjoy when that is taken away from them. In the worst cases, we are not...
The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.