Gratitude and the Good Life

Discontent is one of life’s most corrosive vices. When we wish we lived then, when we want our life to be taking place over there, we take no joy in what’s here and the now. We cannot enjoy the present without receiving it, and we cannot receive it well unless we receive it gratefully.

In fact, without gratitude, we miss the present entirely. A young Master of the Universe hurriedly looks ahead to the deal that will make him his next million, and he misses the opportunity that stands in front of him. An aspiring ballerina dreams her days away, despising the lesser goods of the moment.

Without gratitude, we miss the future: That young investor can grab today with gusto and gratitude, milk it for all its worth, and then grab tomorrow’s opportunity in the same way. The ballerina can dance her way to the top by dancing through the doors that open along the way. Future success is the fruit of present reception.

Without gratitude, we miss the past. Blundering is part of the human condition, but we can be thankful that our blunders have taught us wisdom and care. Bitterness about the past poisons many, many lives.

Ultimately, the reason gratitude is essential to the good life is theological. Every moment, every experience, is a gift from the Father of lights, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Live is a gift, and if we don’t receive it as gift, we don’t really know what it is. 

Gratitude for all things in all things might seem to be a fantasy. It’s not. It’s the reality principle.