We lose big by making presumptions
We all take many things for granted: a new day, good health, friendship, work, safety, a comfortable bed, food on the table, clean clothing, others to care for our needs, etc. Bertrand Russell once said, “In all affairs, it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”
Presumption is something that is too easy to foster. We expect many things to be there when we need them and persons to always be at our side to aid us when we want. We assume that what we currently have and enjoy is guaranteed to be with us forever. We often don’t appreciate the good things that we have in life until they are taken away and, once that happens, we may never get them back.
There are many dangers of being a presumptuous person. One of the biggest is the possibility of losing the good persons in our life or the good things we have if we are not attentive to fostering and nurturing good relationships and we don’t take care the things we enjoy. We cannot continue to enjoy forever wonderful experiences and the marvels of our world, of life and loving and living, without the necessary effort. If we become too lackadaisical about what we have, we may be at risk of losing irreplaceable loved ones, friends, and many delectable things.
Another danger is easily losing our appreciation and gratitude for everything we have and everything we receive. When we stop for an instant and look around, we find endless things that we have and that others are not as fortunate to have. We sometimes complain about not having what we want or having less than we want. We should be content and grateful for all these things in the first place.
Aldous Huxley said, “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” Chesterton notes that, “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
Perhaps the greatest danger of being a presumptuous person is the danger of exaggerating, distorting and misinterpreting that which is true, good and noble. Presumptuous thinking people often fail to succeed in dealing with things and others well. Presumptuous thinking is often unconscious. We can easily fall into a low level of dullness that we no longer recognize and appreciate the blessings we have in life.
We must take nothing for granted, not even a minute of our life. Melody Carstairs, an international lifestyle coach, says, “Take not a minute for granted, because that minute can never be replaced.”