Gratitude has become a buzzword…it’s all part of the fashionable spiritualism peddled by ‘gurus’ in books about finding yourself. We stand in front mirror chanting our positive affirmations and we write long lists every day of what we are grateful for only to then carry on our daily lives in the same ego-centric way forgetting what we are grateful for.
Gratitude is a very important thing in life as it is linked to consciousness and to being rather than to the mind and our endless mindstreams and ego-driven behaviours. When we are truly grateful and practice that gratitude in our daily life and behaviour, we are content with what we have, not constantly seeking more. We are in the moment and accepting of what is, not in denial and stuck in our thoughts.
It is not something to do as a tick-box exercise and then return to our ‘normal’ mind-obsessed unconsciousness. A bit like ‘oh I’ll meditate now to help stress’, similar to popping a pill to fix something temporarily but ignoring the root cause.
Gratitude, meditation, yoga, stillness and many other things that bring us into the present moment and allow us to transcend the mind are part of ongoing spiritual practice that takes time, commitment, sacrifice and dedication. Of course, we all start our journey somewhere and it does not matter how much or how little we do of this. It is doing what suits us rather than a prescriptive approach.
But gratitude is not just a thing to do because it’s cool, rather like yoga isn’t a new cool fitness programme.
Gratitude has to come from our true essence and soul and not from the trickery of the mind.
Philip Dodson 