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Gratitude? No thank you!

A ll your life, you use the words Thank You. Right from childhood, you are taught to say Thank You. By the time we grow into adults, it has become a part of us. We use the words mechanically, in a businesslike way. The words Thank You rarely carry the emotion that they are supposed to: gratitude. In fact, we base our whole life on the opposite emotion: expectation. In our relationships, we demand love. In society, we demand attention. From ourselves, we demand better and better performance. And from God, we demand everything that no one else can give us! We keep on asking, demanding – without giving thanks for what we already have. Gratitude is not some kind of morality that is imposed upon you. It is a basic principle for your own happiness! As long as you keep wanting, you are under the control of external events. When you live in gratitude, no one or nothing else can touch your happiness. When you live with expectations, there is bound to be a gap between your expectations and their fulfillment. The moment one desire is satisfied, ten more will spring up. Of course, in everyone’s life, there will be some ups and downs. There will always be some unfulfilled desires. It is natural. As they say, it’s simply a questions of whether you choose to see the glass as half full or half empty! As long as you focus on what you don’t have, you will sense a vacuum in your life. The words, “I want…” is like a black hole. It is sure to swallow up whatever you already have in your life, and leave you feeling empty.

In your own life, just think of the things you are wishing for right now. Make a list. Now make a list of the things that you already have. Which list makes you happy, and which list makes you uneasy? The answer is obvious. So which list should you be focusing on? Every living thing has the sense to focus on preserving its own happiness! Why don’t we? In India, we have a beautiful concept: it is the giver who says Thank You! This is because, the other has given him a chance to give, has accepted his offering. In India it is considered a sin to take, and a privilege to give. So the giver thanks the taker for doing him a favor, for accepting his offering. But I say, when you give and accept without expectations, both become sacred acts. As Shakespeare says so beautifully about compassion: both he who gives and he who receives are blessed, The only way to have to live connection with reality, with existence, is through gratitude. Whether you want to base your life on asking or on gratitude is entirely up to you. When you are loving, flowing, filled with gratitude, you will always feel the tremendous energy of Existence flow through you. Don’t say thank you, be a thank you! Don’t pay gratitude, become gratitude! This is Truth – accepting whatever life gives you with reverence and gratitude. Gratitude is the most effortless path to lifelong happiness.