Gratitude - everything is a miracle

If we stop for a moment and think about it (a strange thing to do, I know) everything around us is a gift. Our life is a gift, our body is a gift, the air we breathe is a very welcome gift from the universe…

In his book ‘Hara – the Vital Centre of Man’ Karlfried Graf Durkheim states:

Man, as a living being, is not rooted in himself. Rather he is nourished, sustained and held in order by Nature whose laws operate without his knowledge and assistance.

To paraphrase another source that escapes me*, we walk without knowing what it is that moves us; we stop without knowing what it is that stops us. We assimilate what we eat without knowing how we assimilate it. How can we presume to appropriate anything to ourselves?
It is folly and pride not to be awed by the miracle of life. But we so easily get caught up in the petty game of striving to get what we want that we forget to appreciate and enjoy what we do have. The game is only a game, and it is not even our own playing board.
But we can step back from the game and change our perspective and our attitude. Gratitude changes the rules of the game immediately. It becomes a delight to play instead of a struggle. And, best of all, we never seem to lose…

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy - because we will always want to have something else or something more. Brother David Steindl-Rast

If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get. Frank A. Clark

You cannot bring anything new into your life until you are grateful for what you have now. Dr. Michael Beckwith

Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. Estonian Proverb

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily. Gerald Good

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! Henry Ward Beecher

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. Eric Hoffer

When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude. Elie Wiesel

Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present - love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure - the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth. Sarah Ban Breathnac

Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value in your life. Christiane Northrup

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you. Sarah Ban Breathnach

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein

* 21 January 2009, I have found the reference: Chuang Tzu.
'Your destiny, your activity form an intergral part of the transformation of beings under the action of heaven and earth... You advance in life without knowing what pushes you, you stop without knowing what it is that stops you, you eat without knowing how you assimilate, the powerful but unknowable action of heaven and earth moving you in everything; and you claim to appropriate something to yourself?'

Gratitude - the forgotten virtue

Have you ever been puzzling over a problem and then come face to face with a sign that seemed to give you the answer? (See my post, A trip to the sea). The other day I was feeling vaguely irritated and I saw a T-shirt with the words ‘Control will be maintained for we will have order’. I smiled. Obviously the T-shirt’s message was tongue-in-cheek. But it made me realize I was lacking some order in my life. Then of course my eye caught another quote ‘Good order makes men bold, and confusion, cowards’ by Machiavelli. Perhaps it was a case of being receptive to change, a case of ‘when the pupil is ready the master appears’.
Last week, I happened to ask a colleague, who is always cheerful, where he thought the market was going. He surprised me by saying, with a smile, that wherever the market was going was alright with him because in any case he was a lot better off than most people in the world. He carried on in this vein, looking me straight in the eye with total sincerity and compassion and good cheer: we have a roof over our heads, we have a good job, we have money in the bank; we are really fortunate in this part of the world to have all that. We should count our blessings… be grateful… be happy. This reply was so unexpected that it almost seemed to me to come, not from my colleague, but from ‘upstairs’ via the medium of my colleague. Of course I agreed with him, a little half-heartedly, but the message had been delivered. I had mail. I had been told what was important and what was not.
Gratitude, along with humility, is a very unfashionable, almost forgotten virtue these days. And I am afraid to say that I must count myself among the forgetters. But it is one that we can't do without, as we shall see.
I did some research on what others have had to say on the subject and the importance of gratitude was further brought home to me. I will be posting a selection shortly. Here is one to meditate on for now. By the way, thank you Robert.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melodie Beattie

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Noble behaviour

Here is the second text mentioned in my previous post ‘Modesty and kindliness’. There is a reference to the Talmud which gives us a clue to the possible source. For my women readers, I call upon your generosity in ‘swallowing the impure with the pure’ when you see yourselves mentioned in the same phrase as ‘arrogant people’. You will be somewhat soothed later when you read that a wise man spends above his means on honouring his wife and children (especially if he is not careful how he expresses himself!)

Noble behaviour

A wise man does not shout when he speaks, but chats with all people pleasantly. He meets everyone with a friendly greeting, so that all are kindly disposed towards him. He judges all men favourably, praising his fellow and never blaming him. He loves peace and pursues peace. If he feels that his words are helpful and heeded, he talks; otherwise, he keeps quiet.
A wise man does not attempt to pacify an angry person before the latter has calmed down and set his mind at ease. When his fellow is in disgrace, he looks away and does not show himself to him. He never misrepresents, neither overstating nor understating, except when peace is involved. In brief, he speaks only on subjects of learning and kindliness.
A wise man does not walk proudly, with head held high; nor does he step mincingly like women or arrogant people; nor does he run about in the street like a madman; nor does he stoop like a hunchback. The manner of a man’s walking shows whether he is wise and sensible, or foolish and ignorant.
A wise man should dress decently, and must not wear his clothes stained with grease and the like. He should not dress flashily to attract attention, nor shabbily to suffer disrespect. His garments should be modest, appropriate.
A wise man manages his affairs judiciously, eats and drinks and supports his family according to his means. The Talmud recommends that one should spend on food less than his means, on clothes up to his means, and on honouring his wife and children above his means.
Men of intelligence first acquire a livelihood, then a home, and then they marry. Fools, on the other hand, marry first, then they acquire a home if they can afford it, and at last they seek a trade or appeal to charity.A wise man is honest in all his transactions. When he says ‘no’ he means no, and when he says ‘yes’ he means yes. He does not encroach on another man’s occupation, and never mistreats anybody. In short, he prefers to be rather among the offended than among the offenders.

Modesty and kindliness

The following text was given to me by father in the form of an old printed glossy sheet with ‘Courtesy of: Weider Sports Equipment Co Ltd’ stamped on the back. It must be very old because it is a long time since my father (84) bought any sports equipment! There is no indication of where the text comes from, though it has a Middle Eastern ring, and if anyone recognizes the source please let me know. The presentation is very simple, almost naïve by today’s standards, but I find it all the more effective for its simplicity. I think it deserves to be read again. (There is another text on the back called ‘Noble behaviour’, which I will post next).

Modesty and kindliness

Where words abound, sin is not wanting;
He who controls his tongue is a wise man.
Whatever an evil man fears will befall him;
The desire of the righteous will be granted.
A kind man does good to himself;
A cruel man does himself harm.
A fool is sure his own way is right;
A wise man will listen to advice.
A man of quick temper acts foolishly;
But a man of discretion is patient.
A gentle answer turns away wrath;
But harsh words stir up anger.
He who returns evil for good,
Evil will never leave his house.
A happy heart helps and heals;
A broken spirit dries up the bones.
Even a fool is counted wise if he keeps silent;
With closed lips he is thought intelligent.
A good name is a better choice than riches;
A good reputation is more than silver and gold.
If your enemy is hungry, give him food;
Give him water if he is thirsty.
You see a man wise in his own eyes –
More hope for a fool than for him.
The door turns on its hinges,
And the lazy man upon his back.
Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it;
The stone a man sets rolling rebounds upon himself.
Let others praise you, not yourself;
Not your own lips but someone else.
Happy the man who lives in fear of sin;
Reckless men will come to grief.