When a bunch of crabs are trapped in a bucket, and one of them tries to escape, the others will collectively do everything they can to drag the climber back down.

What is fascinating is that each crab doesn’t realize that if it didn’t drag others down, it could escape and “win” as well.

The same is true of people who are envious of others: they don’t realize it, and they shoot themselves in the foot.

Rather than learn and work on themselves to become better people, they choose to drag others down and to remain surrounded with others at the same level. Apparent commonality brings the illusion of security. They will also gossip, slander, and spit on those who made the efforts and succeeded in walking out of the bucket.

Who we surround ourselves with is a choice, and it affects whether we get dragged down, or pulled up.