What is it about being grateful?

…contd….

Whenever we just stated that we were grateful to XYZ, it many times only meant that we were praising someone to redeem ourselves of their genuine goodness or acts. Would you accept only ‘thank-you’ as your salary or birthday gift? Why gratitude is saying that you are grateful. Right? But then, it is your definition. Isn’t it? Why then are you not happy? Why do you demand more? Do you become greedy for asking more? If no, then for others’ acts of kindness or any act that deserves your gratitude you feel you have done them a great favour by stating that you are grateful to them. Have you thought about it?  Our verbal gratitude only reflects the ‘hallowness’ of our gratitude.

“Treat others as you would want to be treated”. You get angry and what not when others are not grateful to you and yet you never sit to honestly see how you have repaid to all to whom you owe gratitude! How convenient! How Good! And yet others are bad and we are good! What justice? Just look at all these hypocrisy of ours….

 

“We reap what we sow”. Did we ever sit to reflect “if I am receiving ingratitude to whom all have I been ingrateful?”. No. we never do that.

For me “I am grateful” only when I give atleast a part of all that I received from others with love, affection and above all humility that “I am NOT GIVING charity” but paying my debt. I am just repaying what I had already enjoyed and benefitted.

I am truly grateful

·         only when I don’t expect kudos for my acts of gratitude

·         I don’t publicize my acts to receive others praise

·         Don’t crib in tough times questioning Guru/God that “I did so much good, then why are you not helping me?”

·         When these acts don’t give me a sense of being a good man doing great acts of charity etc.

 

I am sorry, I became a little carried away but I learnt these lessons a very hard way and hence wanted to share it with you. This effort is to make you reflect only your definition of gratitude, the need to do it and your concept of every aspect of gratitude. That’s all!

...contd....