"Thanksgiving enables us to be fully present in each of the moments of our lives and, at the same time, be fully present to the eternity which is crashing into those moments (for those who have eyes to see). We have the ability to resist the culture of despair by bearing witness to life and hope! Cynicism loosens its smugly fearful, icy grip, warmed by winds of thanks."
In being thankful for something, what is the right response? Is it to guard it, making sure that nothing happens to it, or is it to share it, hoping that others get tot enjoy this thing that you have so much thankfulness for? This is something that I have come to wonder about in this latest edition. I think that many people that I have had the pleasure of interacting with in my lifetime have taken the former approach (i. e. if you are thankful for your money, make sure to keep it safe and ensure that nothing happens to it), whereas I have taken the latter (i. e. if you are thankful for money, share it with others who have less so that they may have money also). This latter approach really comes out of the previous meditation, thinking on where thankfulness comes from. I noted that thankfulness comes from having a lack of something, at least for me, and I am sure that there are more places that thankfulness comes from that will continue to be unpacked as this project continues. Understanding that, it is easy to see why I take the latter view: knowing that my thanksgiving comes from previously having had a lack of something but now having an abundance, I want to share with others who have a lack ensuring that they get to enjoy the same benefits from whatever it is that I get to enjoy.
However, for you if thanksgiving comes from somewhere else (say for instance the pleasure that you get from whatever it is that you are thankful for), than your inclination might be to the former approach because you seek to preserve that pleasure for as long as possible. You do not share what you have, seeking to allow others to also enjoy the pleasure that you get, because you know that in doing so you will thereby receive less glory because there will be less of whatever it is. (This may sound cynical and you may be thinking that you would never actually prescribe to this mindset, but I would challenge and encourage you to think realistically and unbiased about yourself and ask whether or not this really is your mindset. It is far more common than you might realize.)
However, neither of these really addresses the question of what should an adequate response to thankfulness be. And to answer that, you have to answer what type of a person you desire to be. If you want to be a great person who changes the world and is selfless with what you have, then the only proper response to thankfulness has to be inevitably a desire to share your blessings and what you have with others so that they too get to partake. However, if you do not care about being a great, selfless individual, then why be selfless as a response to thanksgiving? I think that it is truly the best response, sharing and generosity but one which is not seen enough. Be generous understanding that you will likely get burned many times, but it is not your primary prerogative, at least it should not be, to protect yourself from being burned. It should be your primary prerogative to ensure that the world is a better place than it was before you were in it because you were in it.
This has been the fourth day meditating on thankfulness.
No comments:
Post a Comment