What is the opposite of jealous? "Gratitude is Heaven itself."

A bright college student asked a simple vocabulary question that threw me this week. "What is the opposite of jealous"?

What is the opposite of jealous? Generous? Selfless? Confident? I found myself discussing various possibilities with students adding in situations. The simple vocabulary building exercise (create 25 pairs of opposite adjectives) took a more philosophical turn. We had a lively, if a bit wandering, class discussion. I apologized for my memory lapse, urged them to check a dictionary, and promised to get back to students with a better answer.

In the teacher's room, a fellow teacher noted "The world jealousy includes the word lousy." We shared a laugh. That's a good answer. How did he instantly come up with that? Why couldn't I do that?

I felt discontent, dissatisfied, and displeased with my weak classroom answers. Perhaps the opposite of "jealous" is content, satisfied, and pleased.

Stress comes naturally when driving in Los Angeles, and my commute back home fit the familiar pattern. Many words popped into my head that captured negative feelings, including jealous. Could I be jealous of bus riders? Really? I started to visualize a bus ride home from UCLA, sitting - no, probably standing up, for 40 minutes next to exhausted strangers. Memories of less pleasant commutes on subway rides in New York from 20 years ago returned. No, I didn't envy or feel jealous of the bus riders.

I eventually arrived home. Boomer, my dog, barked to announce my arrival and licked my face as I entered the front door. He's great. "Dogs are our link to paradise," wrote Milan Kundera. Absolutely.

Gratitude. That's the opposite of jealousy. Gratitude. Why didn't I think of that in class? Next time.

"Gratitude is heaven itself." Who said that? Blake? Yeah, William Blake. The great poet-painter-mystic man. Remember that quote the next time an English student asks, "what is the opposite of jealous?"

Teaching English, especially to bright international college students, helps keep me focused and clear. This week I learned the opposite of jealousy and rediscovered a favorite quotation. Consider me satisfied, content, and grateful.

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Word Lovers and World Lovers Should Visit FreeRice.Com

As the price of rice, corn, and other basic food staples increased daily and food riots return to the headlines, we might want to reflect on ways to help the world’s poorest poor. One way that English teachers, dedicated students, and idealists can make a small contribution is by visiting www.FreeRice.com .

This outstanding educational site asks a wide range of vocabulary questions that often appear on standardized exams. Are you studying for the TOEFL, TOEIC, SAT, LSAT, or GRE? Are you trying to expand your English language vocabulary? Do you know relatives, friends, or co-workers in poor countries? Are you an English student, an ESL teacher, a language school administrator, or a global citizen? FreeRice provides practical assistance to adult education students, ESL teachers, immigrants, test takers, and refugees. FreeRice is a powerful vocabulary resource with 50 levels of vocabulary questions, and its addictive too!

Whether you are a word lover or a world lover, this site should appeal to you. For each correct answer, the site sponsors donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations Food Program. Check Free Rice out, test your vocabulary skills, and make a small – yet significant – contribution today. Thanks!

“The satiated man and the hungry man do not see the same thing when they look upon a loaf of bread.”

Rumi (1207-1273), Persian poet

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