Being grateful: a letter to humanity

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow, writes

DID you know that threequarters of our days, and for that matter most of our lives, we spend complaining about things we don’t have, what we couldn’t achieve, or even the most ridiculous things like the number of likes and dislikes we have got on

Facebook or

Instagram?

Aren’t we constantly grumbling about situations and people. and when they do change, are we grateful, or are we still whining? Even if we have nine of 10 things, we will focus on how to achieve that 10th, rather than being thankful for the nine.

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, meaning grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives. Any real civilisation is based on the principles of respect and gratitude. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — to other people, nature, or a higher power.

A recent study conducted in Harvard medical school has revealed that in positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

A similar study was conducted in California, in which one group of volunteers wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them and the third wrote about all the events that had affected them. After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic about their lives.

The majority of research indicates expressing gratitude is associated with an enhanced sense of personal wellbeing.

On the basis of that respect and gratitude, there is morality, charity, and compassion. A saint rightly said: ‘‘Gratitude is a divine virtue, so important that practically no other divine virtue could exist without it.’’

So, I got inspired to make a note of 10 things for which I feel grateful to God, on a daily basis. I felt that when we write, we actually feel grateful and happy, and practising this exercise helps us to overcome much of the stress, emotional turbulence and depression we go through every day. It’s a wonderful feeling to express gratitude to God, in whatever form we worship Him. Studies have proved that expression of gratitude through writing has transformed the lives and consciousness of many individuals in a positive way.

When a small boy plucks a flower from the garden and gives it to his father, the father feels happy and blissful, even though the little flower has no significant value in his life. Similarly, God is so magnanimous that even if we offer something insignificant with devotion, He will accept it wholeheartedly. Also, this exercise costs nothing, gives us satisfaction and peace, and helps us to connect with Him, even in the midst of the global competitive atmosphere.

The irony of this age is even with extensive technological advances to make life easier, man has no time for himself or for connecting with God.

Dr Sharmin Bala is a PhD student in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Otago.