Gratitude
“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.”
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