GLOAT

By Atty. Farah G. Decano

 

EPICARICACY. This English word is hardly used that even my MS Word 10 does not recognize it. It places a red crooked line under the word to indicate that some error.    I had to google to double check the spelling.  Yes, I spelled it right.  E-p-i-c-a-r-i-c-a-c-y.

It means joy in another’s misery.

I am reminded of a German word that means the same thing. Schadenfreude.  Voila, I just typed the word and I did not see the red crooked underline.  I am curious why MS WORD recognizes this foreign word but not its English equivalent.

If Schadenfreude is epicaricacy in English, I wondered about its Filipino translation. I cannot think of any Filipino word that exactly matches the meaning of epicaricacy.  Perhaps, utak-talangka should be a related term.

Utak-talangka or crab mentality simply means the tendency to pull others down because of the threat that one feels over the success of another.  Crab mentality rejoices at the failure of the other. Isn’t that epicaricacy?

I am having hard time looking for an antonym for our word today. But numerous search engines lead me to another German word, gluckschmerz. It means misery over someone else’s joy! So far, our utak-talangka still pretty much covers the antonym.

What leads us to experience epicaricacy, schadenfreude or gluckschmerz?  Envy. It is a vile desire in our hearts to possess and to own what others have.   According to theologians, those who are envious of others resort to two things: tale bearing and detraction. While these nasty options are identical in purpose, they are dissimilar in the manner of their commission. Detraction is the use of public forum to disparage someone while tale bearing is private gossip which seeks to damage another.

Now, I am reminded of something. Did I just witness presidential epicaricacy when His Excellency lambasted Vice President Leni for her untiring efforts in assisting those victims of calamities in Bicol, Marikina and in Cagayan?

Hurt ego is no justification to demean the second highest official of the land whose fault was only to relentlessly ameliorate the plight of those who are in most need.  In times of fortuitous events, the proper attitude of genuine leaders is the provision of succor to one another. Not public derision. Not even hurling of misogynist remarks.  Ah, indeed, pride is the father of envy.

St. Thomas Aquinas, however, distinguished sinful sorrow over someone’s fortune over the non-sinful one. The former is envy while the other is indignation. The non-sinful sorrow is a justified feeling for individuals who receive good things or honors they do not deserve.  Hence, when we publicly condemn politicians for illegally amassing wealth from government, we are not doing anything wrong. In fact, it is our duty to call out erring public officials.

How must one deal with the evil within that’s envy?

Charity. One must grow this trait that enables us to love others other than ourselves.  This virtue is not be dependent on the qualities of the object but on the attributes of the subject. In other words, a charitable person will continue to love another despite the his or her defects.

Mitgefuhl.  This German word refers to having joy in the happiness of others.  Simply put, the person is experiencing sympathetic joy. To undergo this, the person must have the quality of heart that is filled with genuineness, love and humility.  It must know very little about envy and pride.

Let us be mindful of what we feel so we could remedy our own quality as a person. We must not allow ourselves to wallow in envy and later exude schadenfreude or gluckschmerz.   So, when a friend is in pain for failing or losing something. Do. Not. Gloat.

Gloating is the more common term for epicaricacy.

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