Attitude of Gratitude

Stumbled upon this blog by accident, but then again, anything with God is almost nothing short of an accident.
Insightful reads, here's the site.

If you took the lengths to visit it, the title would seem intriguing.
Even if you didn't, i'll include it as part of my post today.

Attitude of Gratitude - a rhyme and at the same time, a virtue.
Some say that gratitude is the mother of other virtues.
Taking a moment to consider, i believe it is so.
I took the liberty of taking gratitude to have a meaning akin to thankfulness.
If you're unconvinced, i did a search on Thesaurus.com and the results turn up to show:
http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/thankfulness

Well then the questions here is, how is gratitude/thankfulness a virtue?
Let me answer that question via a simple example:

We all know the season of giving is approaching/has approached and it isn't hard to find parents giving children gifts at this time of the year, in fact, it has become pretty much commonplace.
If the child is receiving the gift from a familiar aunt or uncle and he/she tears open the wrapping paper with much haste, only to their dismay, it was not really what they had expected.

Let's pause here.

There are 2 general reactions that the child could partake of.

1) Choose to be thankful/grateful for the present, even though it was not what he/she wanted.
[Insert Quote]Its the thought that counts[/Insert]
[Error 227: Cliche]

2) Choose to fully portray their disgust in as many different actions as possible, only limited by the creativity of their mind.

In the place of that beloved aunt/uncle, would you feel appreciated if reaction number 2 happens?

Reaction 1 would possibly trigger off a loving response by the giver.


I admit, it isn't a very good example, but i hope it portrays how gratitude is a virtue.

Gratitude works as a resistance to other negative feelings if you like.

If you're grateful for the friends you have, you won't wonder who will backstab you next.
If you're grateful for the handphone you have, you won't worry about how other people's phones have better functions than yours.
If you're grateful for your food, you won't worry about the fat in it.
If you're grateful for your family, you certainly won't want to ruin it.

And the list goes on.

So why the big uproar about gratitude?
It seems to me that most people are not really thankful for the things they have in life.
A common sight on the streets - or rather a common sound i hear is people complaining how fraught and distraught their lives are.

"Oh you see my son can't even score an A* for maths. Maybe i have to send him for more tuition classes."

Hello lady, Thank God that you HAVE a son.

I mean, people miss out the little things in life sometimes.
I feel there's a need to really slow down, freeze the big picture and actually notice what all of this originally started from.
Always be thankful for the things you ALREADY have, and don't forget to give thanks for the things you receive.

So my friends, let us carry on with life having an attitude of gratitude integrated into our lives.
Frankly, i'm still trying hard to aggrandize it into a subconscious mentality.


Other thoughts:
"Pain is discouraging, but it makes you feel alive."

Why seek a quest of knowledge when you won't attain the fruit of wisdom?
Don't be a wiseacre.

Hopefully this post isn't too somniferous.

Song of the Day: I Give - CHC