Is Gratitude A Platitude?

I regularly profess gratitude for blessings in my life—from family to good health, yet, oftentimes, I wonder if I take these blessings for granted or believe that God (or the Universe) smiles on me because I am “worthy.” Would that mean that those less fortunate are unworthy? Would I still be grateful if diagnosed with a fatal disease or became homeless? Does my gratitude extend primarily to material comforts?

These thoughts led me to consider gratitude in its many aspects. For example, the major religions--Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism—encourage gratitude as a moral virtue. In the secular world, gratitude often serves as a marketing tool, especially during the Christmas season and at Thanksgiving, when ads or commercials depict middle-class families grateful to consume an advertiser’s product. A cliché of the entertainment world entails a celebrity holding up a trophy and breathlessly thanking God (for beating out the competition?)

Consider these perspectives on gratitude--from a philosopher to a Broadway composer.  

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love …” -Marcus Aurelius

“The best way to show my gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.” —Saint Theresa of Calcutta.

"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." — G.K. Chesterton

“Every once in a while, God allows you to stub your toe as a kind reminder to be grateful for the miraculous body attached to it.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich, “Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year.”

“Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still, I’d like to express my thanks — I’ve got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night.” ― Irving Berlin (American composer and lyricist)

According to Robert Emmons, Ph.D., professor, and psychologist at the University of California, Davis, and a leading expert on gratitude, “… gratitude not only makes you feel good --it can have dramatic and lasting effects on your wellbeing. Research indicates that gratitude can lower blood pressure, improve immune function, reduce cardiac inflammation, increase happiness, improve relationships, and decrease depression.” 

Regrettably, we often overlook blessings until they are no longer, for example, electricity, a job, a sound mind, clean water, freedom, or our senses. Can you think of more?

As we move towards 2024, with its promise of greater blessings, new relationships, increased wealth, or whatever we dream of, reflect on these words by writer, Audrey Lorde, from her 1984 book, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches.: “We are all more blind to what we have than to what we have not.”

2023 Wista Johnson (Reprint by permission only.) Photo: Magda Ehlers (pexels.com)