Gratitude

Maybe it is a portion of the human experience to reflect on suffering and the lack within our daily lives. Such a reflection can influence how each of us approach life and how we will go about creating for ourselves an environment in which gratitude becomes commonplace. How hard do we have to work in order to have a mindset of gratitude? 

All around us are examples of technological advancements which have created ease within our lives. Our level of knowledge and accumulation of wisdom due to previous failures contributes to our ability to create in new ways. My ability to be grateful does not come easily and I can imagine there are millions of other men and women who wrestle with cultivating such an attitude and activity.  I wrestle with the attitude and while my adversary is working my mind and my body to have me submit and thus produce a hopeful way of looking at life, I contend with my full being. At some point the sun is going to rise and gratitude will execute some maneuver which will lead me to limp and find gratitude in the fact more could have been done to change my mind. It was the wrestling and difficulty which while humbling my being produced in me a level of gratitude because so much more could have been taken from me during the experience. 

So, while I should not compare my situation to another, I have to look over and observe my neighbor. “He left with not only a limp but also the loss of one eye.” I look behind me and see my other neighbor who limps but also has lost her home. Gratitude finds a way even with all of my technological knowledge and what I thought was a high degree of intelligence to humble my mind and cause me to announce in some manner, “Thank you for what I do have.” 

Secondly, gratitude leads us to focus inwardly and at some point each of us should take the moment to look outwardly and the development of our environmental circumstances. Surely, we should rejoice that the movement of our own bodies or the products we have produced are no longer conducted with our bodies solely. Centuries have passed and the ability to transport has moved from months, to weeks, to days, and now to hours. At some point in our future, as knowledge increases, creativity is stimulated, our ability to move from one fixed point to another will be in the matter of minutes. Imagine the profound impact such an advancement will have on the quality of life of individuals in terms of education, movement of food, and an event so critical as seeing a loved one for his or her final moments before transcending this earthly coil.

​The opportunities for gratitude are numerous and we should pursue being less busy at times to simply pause and reflect on what we do possess, how far we have come as a human race, and the possibilities which lay before us.