Envy exists only around the people you closely know. The basic reason is that you think you're very similar to them. This is mostly a delusion.

You would feel really bad if someone around you did something you are not doing. This is an important distinction. I think real envy (the one that burns) happens when you're capable of something and wish to do it but still don't do it. We don't have real envy in situations where everything is really just out of reach.

The delusion I was talking about plays out very clearly in every situation. When something happens with someone close to you, you relate deeply with them. You think you're under achieving and self-doubt cycles begin. But the exact same situation when somebody unknown who may be in a much more cruel condition achieves more, you wouldn't feel as much a hit. Ofcourse, if you're made to know such a person exists, you'll feel bad but you'll make up some reason for your lives being different, priorities being different and just luck.

The delusion of being very similar to everybody around you makes you comfortable but vulnerable to such emotions. Maybe on some fronts you're really similar to your tribe and social environment but it is almost never a complete match. Few ideas intersect, that's it. But tribes become a part of an individual's identity very quickly and you're deluded into the feeling that every idea of the tribe aligns with you.

Awareness in this regard makes it much better to digest situations where you would have felt envy. Another great distinction is that a lot of good people who make you envious may push you to do more and achieve more, provided you envy them for the right reasons (skill rather than reward).