For centuries,
countless techniques, methods, and tenets have emerged –
each claiming to guide humanity towards a better, happier
and a problem free life.
Perhaps the early ones did not quite work,
prompting new gurus, life coaches, and speakers
to repackage them with a ‘new and improved’ versions,
keep the masses forever in a journey.
The latest elixir from the Self-Help world,
the fashionable cure for all your problems,
is called – ‘Gratitude‘.
In all fairness,
it would be unjust to blame society’s well-wishers
for offering such modicum of half-truths.
Afterall, the vast majority seeks a happier place
in the most convenient way possible –
even if that path is a disingenuous one
paved with falsehood and illusion.
As long it is aligned with their belief system,
efficacy of the method is rarely ever questioned.
And honestly,
practise of Gratitude
though pleasant in tone,
plays gravely with one’s belief –
for it keeps God and peace
at its very centre,
as a commodity of exchange.
The doctrine of gratitude rests around a simple idea –
be thankful to God or the Universe,
and abundance shall follow –
more happiness, more wealth,
healthier relationships,
or one shall simply attract
more divine blessing in every form.
It is just the same old wishing well dressed up in a different costume.
Has expressing gratitude
truly brought the peace one seeks?
Has it strengthened the relationships as one hoped?
Has it stilled the restless minds?
The answer, it seems,
is largely No.
In every society,
there will always be those who have more than us
and those who have less —
in wealth, status, or opportunities.
Truth is,
the affluent practise gratitude
to soothe the guilt of having more,
while the impoverished practise gratitude
to reconcile with the guilt of having less than others.
In end,
it becomes a self-gratification driven exercise –
a subtle means to pacify the Self,
rather than a genuine path to contentment.
If gratitude arises naturally –
towards the trees, rivers, the sun,
the universe or your relations–
than be grateful.
But to see Gratitude as an elixir
that will shall take away your problems
is just being nescient, and unwise.
If thankfulness flows naturally towards family, friends, or God,
untethered to any need or expectations,
let it flow freely –
pure, effortless, and directionless.
However, if gratitude is practiced
as a method to gain something out of it,
then one is far from TRUTH.
Is a mango tree more grateful
than a grapefruit tree for its sweetness?
Does a rose feel more thankful than a sunflower
for its fragrance?
Nature simply is—each form expressing itself
without comparison,
without gratitude as a strategy.
Keeping a daily or weekly gratitude journal
may offer momentary relief or
comfort for some,
but it lacks the depth and necessary steam
to lead one to lasting peaceful place
he has forever longed for.
A sincere,
honest examination of one’s own problems
holds far greater promise –
for it alone can reveal
the missing link between conflict and clarity.
Between merely living
or living with doors open to peace.
“The moment one searches for reasons to be grateful,
he has already left the place
where gratitude lives.”
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