“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” Aesop, Greek storyteller
The Oxford dictionary defines gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” The Greater Good Science Center in their paper entitled The Science of Gratitude, wrote the following about definition of gratitude:
“Most people have an instinctive understanding of what gratitude is, but it can be surprisingly difficult to define. Is it an emotion? A virtue? A behavior? Indeed, gratitude can mean different things to different people in different contexts. However, researchers have developed some frameworks for conceptualizing gratitude so that it can be studied scientifically.
For example, Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough define gratitude as a two-step process: 1) “recognizing that one has obtained a positive outcome” and 2) “recognizing that there is an external source for this positive outcome.” While most of these positive benefits come from other people—hence gratitude’s reputation as an “other-oriented” emotion— people can also experience gratitude toward God, fate, nature, etc.
Some psychologists further categorize three types of gratitude: gratitude as an “affective trait” (one’s overall tendency to have a grateful disposition), a mood (daily fluctuations in overall gratitude), and an emotion (a more temporary feeling of gratitude that one may feel after receiving a gift or a favor from someone).”
Gratitude has immense benefits in our lives, it makes us look fondly to our past, appreciate the present and have a glowing hope for what lies ahead. For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should be grateful for the experiences we have currently and those we have had in life, those that brought us joy and those that tested our character. As Melody Beattie said “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Note also the warning sounded by Henry Ward Beecher that “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.”
In my view, gratitude is a voluntary action, it cannot be forced. If it is forced, it will be something else, not gratitude. However, when there is gratitude after someone does something for another, it is like the icing on the cake, without it, it seems bare and missing some flair. It reminds me of the story where Jesus healed 10 men who had leprosy. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, traveling along the border between Galilee and Samaria. It reads in Luke 17 verse 12 to 19 as follows:
“As he (Jesus) was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.””
In my view the 9 received physical healing, however, the one man who was grateful received extra healing, he received the healing that was even more crucial if you may, spiritual healing. He got this because of his attitude of gratitude. When we are grateful, even more is given to us. The Creator and people around us are inclined to give us more when we have a grateful heart and attitude. As the spanish proverb goes “To the grateful man, give more than he asks.”
A story is told of a son who took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner. The father being very old and weak, while eating, dropped food on his shirt and trousers. Other diners watched him in disgust while his son was calm.
After he finished eating, his son who was not at all embarrassed, quietly took him to the washroom, wiped the food particles, removed the stains, combed his hair and fitted his spectacles firmly. When they came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that. The son settled the bill and started walking out with his father.
At that time, an old man amongst the diners called out to the son and asked him, “Don’t you think you have left something behind?”.
The son replied, “No sir, I haven’t”.
The old man retorted, “Yes, you have! You left a lesson for every son and hope for every father”.
The restaurant went silent.
There are medical and social effects associated with gratitude. Scientists have been able to link improved medical outcomes to gratitude. In their gratitude whitepaper, the Greater Good Science Center wrote this:
“Research suggests that gratitude may be associated with many benefits for individuals, including better physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction, decreased materialism, and more. A handful of studies suggest that more grateful people may be healthier, and others suggest that scientifically designed practices to increase gratitude can also improve people’s health and encourage them to adopt healthier habits.
Many more studies have examined possible connections between gratitude and various elements of psychological well-being. In general, more grateful people are happier, more satisfied with their lives, less materialistic, and less likely to suffer from burnout. Additionally, some studies have found that gratitude practices, like keeping a “gratitude journal” or writing a letter of gratitude, can increase people’s happiness and overall positive mood.
Gratitude may also benefit people with various medical and psychological challenges. For example, one study found that more grateful cardiac patients reported better sleep, less fatigue, and lower levels of cellular inflammation, and another found that heart failure patients who kept a gratitude journal for eight weeks were more grateful and had reduced signs of inflammation afterwards. Several studies have found that more grateful people experience less depression and are more resilient following traumatic events…Given its role as “social glue,” it should not be surprising that evidence points to gratitude’s social benefits as well. Research suggests that gratitude inspires people to be more generous, kind, and helpful (or “prosocial”); strengthens relationships, including romantic relationships; and may improve the climate in workplaces.”
When you think about it, we have many opportunities to show gratitude on a daily basis. For instance, if you look at your current surroundings, wherever you are right now, what if I told you that you can find at least ten things you can be grateful for! I am right now in a room, I see a book I am grateful to read from, a water bottle from which I am drinking, someone or several people made the bottle of water, I am grateful to them, I am grateful to the Creator who made the water I am drinking and for the people who collected it in a reservoir, piped it and ensured it got to where I could fetch it in a tap. I am sitting on a chair. Someone designed it, another or others made the materials for the chair, someone fashioned the chair, someone made it available to me so that I could buy the chair and it could hold me for the better part of the day as I work, I am grateful for all these people and the list can go on and on as I look around me…just think that these are just the things you see around you, what of the experiences past, present and future that we can be grateful for?
For us to have an inspired harmonious life, we should adopt the posture and attitude of being thankful in all circumstances. Whatever experience we encounter, when we reflect deeply on it, we will find a lesson from it. It may be difficult to be grateful in some circumstances, however, it is quite possible to be grateful nevertheless. Hannah Whital Smith said “The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.” As Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
In conclusion listen to what Germany Kent said “It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.”
