Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
T 5:40pm
12 comments:
Jessica Wolf
said...
Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress. Research Shows Gratitude Heightens Quality of Life
You are taught gratitude at a young age, one of the first words a child learns is thank you. The feeling of gratitude itself is a positive one, when you are thankful for something u also feel humility and a general sense of well-being. It is sad when people take things for granted and feel like they are entitled to getting whatever they want from everyone, and that happens on a daily basis in our society that’s why we need to stop and think and be grateful for the things we have in our lives. After all, just think where you would be if everything you had was taken away.
"Gratitude is the key to unlocking a more open and rewarding perspective on life. Feelings of appreciation are always accompanied by the elevation of one's state of life and the broadening of one's perspective. And, the more our life expands, the more profound our sense of gratitude becomes, to the point where we can feel appreciation even for the problems we face in life." ~Daisaku Ikeda
"Our lives are supported by an intricate web woven by the effort and consideration of countless people. The unseen daily exertions of others are behind each of the innumerable elements that sustain and enhance our daily existence, from the food we eat to the products and amenities we use. Moment by moment, the natural environment supports and makes possible our lives. Gratitude is the joyful recognition of this fact."
~from the writings of Daisaku Ikeda (president of the SGI -Soka Gakkai International-lay buddhist organization, in 192 countries with over 10 million members.
I practice buddhism and I study the writings of president Ikeda often. Gratitude is a key note in every buddhist teaching. One must first give thanks in order to give or receive. It has helped me allot to become aware that I must become grateful for the challenges in my life in order to receive full benefit from the lessons that I learn. I believe a deep appreciation and connection to nature is very important to maintain balance in ones life. Some days we spend the whole day on pavement and never touch our feet to the ground. I appreciate the amazing built up world that we as humans have created but I believe that the state of imbalance that I see so many people struggling with comes from the lack of connection and gratitude to the earth. We are of the earth we are not of this pavement. Take the time to touch your feet to the earth every day. Stop, listen, enjoy and be grateful to the four elements that nurture your being. Thank you:)
Gratitude is a one of those virtue which is praised by many and had by few. Far too many of us take even a second out of the day to simply stop and be thankful for the ability to take a deep breath. Our nature, as Thomas Hobbes notes, is to be selfish. This and the natural tendency to become used to a certain standard of living promotes the greed which is so prevalent in materialistic societies. This constant feeling of lacking something causes stress, which in turn causes irritability and frustration, which causes more stress. The effect may be negligible at first, this can create a very self destructive individual. Giving thanks for a few basic things in one's day helps to negate this tendency and promotes an attitude of respect and decency, which people will generally return.
Andres Garcia Phi 2010 11 am Gratitude is a virtue and it works I truly believe that gratitude is truly a virtue it constantly reminds you of the opportunities you have instead of what you’re missing in life. You truly don’t experience gratitude until you go through a situation missing something you almost always have and then all of a sudden you notice it’s not there anymore. A good example of this is leaving home to go to college or living alone in a foreign city or state, you start missing your bed and then you notice whatever you’re eating can’t compare to moms cooking back home and all of a sudden your home sick but when you go back to visit gratitude that you still have those things just settle in. As far as being ungrateful, aren’t we all ungrateful early on in life at the things our parents do for us. Sometimes we are ungrateful because we just don’t understand the reasoning behind the actions they take for us. I still believe that gratitude is something we should all learn at an early age, maybe it would help everybody deal with their situation a little bit better.
It is often said that you don’t know what you have until you lose it. Unfortunately it seems to be a true statement for most people. We are constantly taking things for granted and missing out on the quality of feeling thankful or grateful. Gratitude is appreciation and it brings joy and peace to the heart and mind of any human. People who have near-death experiences tend to become extremely grateful for being alive. We forget that life itself is a gift and that we should be thankful for it every morning and night. When someone watches a young child die from starvation, they think twice before throwing away leftovers. That’s when gratitude changes their way of thinking, which leads to a change in their behavior, which leads to a happier, less stressful life. It is a beautiful thing to be grateful for what you have, and one of the major reasons why we often see poor people happier than the wealthy. The poor are happy to survive and are grateful for what they can get, while the wealthy live to satisfy a never ending need for more, often forgetting that what they have is more than enough. It is healthy to thank you and mean it.
This an interesting topic,due to the fact that gratitude is not a popular thing nowadays. This generation has it twisted. Some people feel as if people are suppose to do certain things. Things that we take for granted here in the US is what people would show a great deal of gratitude towards. Like financial aid some people abuse the system with no intention of getting an education. When you go to the financial aid office you see the disgruntle people all the time. If people would show more gratitude than selfishness the world would be much different.
I feel that gratitude is a virtue that is passed down by one’s parents. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and an ungrateful mother is unlikely to raise a grateful child. One’s gratitude plays an enormous role is that person’s character development while growing up, especially in the period of transition from adolescent to adult. Those who find themselves to be grateful will be much less likely to be plagued with the “entitlement” that many young American’s suffer from today. Gratitude involves appreciating the things that life brings you. Appreciating something goes beyond just saying you are appreciative, it goes beyond saying “thankyou.” Being appreciative involves taking care of the things you appreciate, over time, without having to be reminded by others. I think there is a direct correlation with gratitude and work ethic. Those who lack gratitude are at a great risk of exhibiting all sorts of behavioral flaws such as selfishness, irresponsibility, unreliability, and de-motivation. Those who are grateful have a much more mature and realistic outlook on life. This equates to happiness; after all, someone who is ungrateful is most likely bitter, spiteful, and full of blame. These individuals, from what I’ve seen, have trouble finding happiness, and make those around them unhappy. From a young age I was taught to not take things for granted, and not to take advantage of people. Saying “thnakyou” and showing thanks through my actions has always been stressed in my family. This is good in the sense that no good deed goes unnoticed, and good deeds always seem to find their way to those who are grateful. Gratitude helps put the significance of other’s kindness into perspective.
Gratitude is so important in our everyday hectic lives. Instead of waking up everyday and worrying about useless things we should practice gratitude and see how our lives turn around for the better. The benefits of gratitude are numerous and research shows gratitude heightens quality of life to say the least. Remember the last time you did something for someone out of the goodness of your heart, how good it felt! Gratitude is a virtue that we all need to practice.Michael Guelbenzu
When I was a child, the first thing is mother taught me was gratitude and respect that has followed me to this day. When a person shows gratitude, they are seen as an educated person. Being from a Christian family, partaking and practicing gratitude was something that was every day of my life. I was taught that showing gratitude to everyone was something you couldn’t forget even though they didn’t show gratitude back. Sometime, me working at my job, people fail to have gratitude toward me and my peers at work. It is how you are taught that makes a difference in your life and in others. Being gracious towards strangers or close people effect your outcome in life. Some people like to think that gratitude directly affects karma or good luck. I see it as a sign of respect your show to your fellow human in no matter the circumstance. -Alexandra Acevedo.
“O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!” William Shakespeare Why would Shakespeare quote such a phrase? I believe he was really asking for gratefulness. This virtue has been lost along the years, people nowadays take things for granted and don’t give value to what they have. Being thankful makes you feel relieved with yourself and God. As being raised in a Catholic family, I was taught that giving thanks was a virtue, one that I would never forget. Since kids, I believe is one of the first words we are taught not only because it shows good manners, it also shoes respect to others. Every day there is a reason to give thanks, thanks for the first breath, thanks for giving me one more day of live, Thank you to whomever you want to say thanks!
Gratitude constitutes not only a positive feeling in a person but is a signal that you appreciate a certain action or situation. Being able to appreciate something will mean by logic that you will take care of it and that you know in a certain measure the cost that is associated with it. I think that if all human beings had gratitude with nature we would learn to live consuming resources in a more rational way, however that too much to ask since some people live only for their own benefit. Gratitude also means that you acknowledge and respect the person that you are grateful from, since without it would be hard to feel such a feeling.
12 comments:
Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress.
Research Shows Gratitude Heightens Quality of Life
You are taught gratitude at a young age, one of the first words a child learns is thank you. The feeling of gratitude itself is a positive one, when you are thankful for something u also feel humility and a general sense of well-being. It is sad when people take things for granted and feel like they are entitled to getting whatever they want from everyone, and that happens on a daily basis in our society that’s why we need to stop and think and be grateful for the things we have in our lives. After all, just think where you would be if everything you had was taken away.
"Gratitude is the key to unlocking a more open and rewarding perspective on life. Feelings of appreciation are always accompanied by the elevation of one's state of life and the broadening of one's perspective. And, the more our life expands, the more profound our sense of gratitude becomes, to the point where we can feel appreciation even for the problems we face in life."
~Daisaku Ikeda
"Our lives are supported by an intricate web woven by the effort and consideration of countless people. The unseen daily exertions of others are behind each of the innumerable elements that sustain and enhance our daily existence, from the food we eat to the products and amenities we use. Moment by moment, the natural environment supports and makes possible our lives. Gratitude is the joyful recognition of this fact."
~from the writings of Daisaku Ikeda (president of the SGI -Soka Gakkai International-lay buddhist organization, in 192 countries with over 10 million members.
I practice buddhism and I study the writings of president Ikeda often. Gratitude is a key note in every buddhist teaching. One must first give thanks in order to give or receive. It has helped me allot to become aware that I must become grateful for the challenges in my life in order to receive full benefit from the lessons that I learn.
I believe a deep appreciation and connection to nature is very important to maintain balance in ones life. Some days we spend the whole day on pavement and never touch our feet to the ground. I appreciate the amazing built up world that we as humans have created but I believe that the state of imbalance that I see so many people struggling with comes from the lack of connection and gratitude to the earth. We are of the earth we are not of this pavement. Take the time to touch your feet to the earth every day. Stop, listen, enjoy and be grateful to the four elements that nurture your being.
Thank you:)
Gratitude is a one of those virtue which is praised by many and had by few. Far too many of us take even a second out of the day to simply stop and be thankful for the ability to take a deep breath. Our nature, as Thomas Hobbes notes, is to be selfish. This and the natural tendency to become used to a certain standard of living promotes the greed which is so prevalent in materialistic societies. This constant feeling of lacking something causes stress, which in turn causes irritability and frustration, which causes more stress. The effect may be negligible at first, this can create a very self destructive individual. Giving thanks for a few basic things in one's day helps to negate this tendency and promotes an attitude of respect and decency, which people will generally return.
Andres Garcia
Phi 2010
11 am
Gratitude is a virtue and it works
I truly believe that gratitude is truly a virtue it constantly reminds you of the opportunities you have instead of what you’re missing in life. You truly don’t experience gratitude until you go through a situation missing something you almost always have and then all of a sudden you notice it’s not there anymore. A good example of this is leaving home to go to college or living alone in a foreign city or state, you start missing your bed and then you notice whatever you’re eating can’t compare to moms cooking back home and all of a sudden your home sick but when you go back to visit gratitude that you still have those things just settle in. As far as being ungrateful, aren’t we all ungrateful early on in life at the things our parents do for us. Sometimes we are ungrateful because we just don’t understand the reasoning behind the actions they take for us. I still believe that gratitude is something we should all learn at an early age, maybe it would help everybody deal with their situation a little bit better.
It is often said that you don’t know what you have until you lose it. Unfortunately it seems to be a true statement for most people. We are constantly taking things for granted and missing out on the quality of feeling thankful or grateful. Gratitude is appreciation and it brings joy and peace to the heart and mind of any human. People who have near-death experiences tend to become extremely grateful for being alive. We forget that life itself is a gift and that we should be thankful for it every morning and night. When someone watches a young child die from starvation, they think twice before throwing away leftovers. That’s when gratitude changes their way of thinking, which leads to a change in their behavior, which leads to a happier, less stressful life. It is a beautiful thing to be grateful for what you have, and one of the major reasons why we often see poor people happier than the wealthy. The poor are happy to survive and are grateful for what they can get, while the wealthy live to satisfy a never ending need for more, often forgetting that what they have is more than enough. It is healthy to thank you and mean it.
This an interesting topic,due to the fact that gratitude is not a popular thing nowadays. This generation has it twisted. Some people feel as if people are suppose to do certain things. Things that we take for granted here in the US is what people would show a great deal of gratitude towards. Like financial aid some people abuse the system with no intention of getting an education. When you go to the financial aid office you see the disgruntle people all the time. If people would show more gratitude than selfishness the world would be much different.
Kent Burlington
I feel that gratitude is a virtue that is passed down by one’s parents. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and an ungrateful mother is unlikely to raise a grateful child. One’s gratitude plays an enormous role is that person’s character development while growing up, especially in the period of transition from adolescent to adult. Those who find themselves to be grateful will be much less likely to be plagued with the “entitlement” that many young American’s suffer from today. Gratitude involves appreciating the things that life brings you. Appreciating something goes beyond just saying you are appreciative, it goes beyond saying “thankyou.” Being appreciative involves taking care of the things you appreciate, over time, without having to be reminded by others. I think there is a direct correlation with gratitude and work ethic. Those who lack gratitude are at a great risk of exhibiting all sorts of behavioral flaws such as selfishness, irresponsibility, unreliability, and de-motivation. Those who are grateful have a much more mature and realistic outlook on life. This equates to happiness; after all, someone who is ungrateful is most likely bitter, spiteful, and full of blame. These individuals, from what I’ve seen, have trouble finding happiness, and make those around them unhappy. From a young age I was taught to not take things for granted, and not to take advantage of people. Saying “thnakyou” and showing thanks through my actions has always been stressed in my family. This is good in the sense that no good deed goes unnoticed, and good deeds always seem to find their way to those who are grateful. Gratitude helps put the significance of other’s kindness into perspective.
Gratitude is so important in our everyday hectic lives. Instead of waking up everyday and worrying about useless things we should practice gratitude and see how our lives turn around for the better. The benefits of gratitude are numerous and research shows gratitude heightens quality of life to say the least. Remember the last time you did something for someone out of the goodness of your heart, how good it felt! Gratitude is a virtue that we all need to practice.Michael Guelbenzu
When I was a child, the first thing is mother taught me was gratitude and respect that has followed me to this day. When a person shows gratitude, they are seen as an educated person. Being from a Christian family, partaking and practicing gratitude was something that was every day of my life. I was taught that showing gratitude to everyone was something you couldn’t forget even though they didn’t show gratitude back. Sometime, me working at my job, people fail to have gratitude toward me and my peers at work. It is how you are taught that makes a difference in your life and in others. Being gracious towards strangers or close people effect your outcome in life. Some people like to think that gratitude directly affects karma or good luck. I see it as a sign of respect your show to your fellow human in no matter the circumstance.
-Alexandra Acevedo.
“O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!” William Shakespeare
Why would Shakespeare quote such a phrase? I believe he was really asking for gratefulness. This virtue has been lost along the years, people nowadays take things for granted and don’t give value to what they have. Being thankful makes you feel relieved with yourself and God. As being raised in a Catholic family, I was taught that giving thanks was a virtue, one that I would never forget. Since kids, I believe is one of the first words we are taught not only because it shows good manners, it also shoes respect to others.
Every day there is a reason to give thanks, thanks for the first breath, thanks for giving me one more day of live, Thank you to whomever you want to say thanks!
Alan C
Gratitude constitutes not only a positive feeling in a person but is a signal that you appreciate a certain action or situation. Being able to appreciate something will mean by logic that you will take care of it and that you know in a certain measure the cost that is associated with it. I think that if all human beings had gratitude with nature we would learn to live consuming resources in a more rational way, however that too much to ask since some people live only for their own benefit. Gratitude also means that you acknowledge and respect the person that you are grateful from, since without it would be hard to feel such a feeling.
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