Man is a social animal and is dependent on others for various reasons. The acknowledgement of this fact and recognition of the aid received from another forms part of the soul choosing to cherish it. This can be termed as gratitude. It is said that deeds make a person memorable that one need not make an effort to remember such a person.
The Mahabharata shows one such character in Karna who is filled with gratitude for Duryodhana having acknowledged his abilities and provided him with an opportunity to be uplifted from the status of a charioteer's son to his rightful place among the princes. However, the gratitude turns to unflinching loyalty which leads to dire consequences. Therefore, the epic draws a fine line between gratitude and loyalty or friendship.
However, Marcus Tullius Cicero held an unconditional view
" Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues,
but the parent of all others"
The charismatic John F Kennedy laid the edict
" We must find time to stop and
thank the people who make a difference in our lives"
In the era of microblogging one must definitely give it to Brene Brown for bringing the profound topic of gratitude in the barest of words,
" What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude"
Probably, these words need to be placed at every public place for people to stop feeling entitled to whatever they get and comprehend the reality that they in fact are lucky to be enjoying the privilege. In fact, the fabled economist Adam Smith echoed the same and said
"Entitlement is such a cancer, because it is void of gratitude"
This is driven home by one of the fables as well as is attributed to the Bard of Avon William Shakespeare
" I cried when I had no shoes
but
I stopped crying when I saw a man without legs.
Life is full of blessings, sometimes we do not value it"
These words are also attributed to Guru Nanak which in essence bring out the same lines
A crude translation would mean that many legs wander without shoes, many heads do not have a shelter. The Lord has given me everything, why not express gratitude." Would request any reader well versed with Punjabi to correct any error with gratitude
The recent fad of uttering thank you is welcome but has become a lip service. It is therefore, that John F Kennedy says
" As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is
not to utter words but live by them"
William Arthur Ward clarifies that this does not mean that you do not express your gratitude in these words
" Feeling gratitude and not expressing it
is
like wrapping a present and not giving it"
And what would merit gratitude is brought out in these words by Oscar Wilde
"The smallest act of kindness
is worth more than
the grandest intention"
It is G K Chesterton who makes a life lesson out of it by saying
" When it comes to life,
the critical thing is
whether you take things for granted
or
take them with gratitude"
Thus, with gratitude and due apologies to all the luminaries, the life lesson of gratitude for G with quotes is now part of this series.
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