Dearest Reader,

There is a peculiar sort of person who cannot feel brighter without first attempting to dim the room.

They interrupt praise meant for someone else. They diminish achievements they did not accomplish. They search for flaws in anything admired too openly and become suddenly generous with criticism when another person begins to flourish.

One might mistake this for confidence.

It is usually quite the opposite.

Those who are secure in their own light have very little need to interfere with anyone else’s. They understand that admiration is not a limited resource, that another person’s success does not constitute a personal loss, and that attention given elsewhere does not reduce their own significance.