Buddhists teach the impermanence of all things. I'm sure Paul, arguably the most influential person in history, had his moments where he felt on top of the world, but the last we hear from him in the New Testament is in Rome, under house arrest. "I considered all toil and all achievement," says Ecclesiastes, the most Buddhist Book in the Bible, "and it all comes from rivalry between man and man. This too is emptiness and chasing the wind."

Success? Here today, gone tomorrow. Enjoy life while you can, says Ecclesiastes, but don't stake your happiness on empty pleasures and false pursuits.

So what do I see in someone who is doing much better than me, particularly in my field? I see an individual who has had more than his or her share of Second Corinthians moments, whose time in the sun is fleeting, at best.

What is there to envy? Nothing. What is there to admire? An awful lot.