Importance of gratitude

Because we struggle to acknowledge help we've received. And to emerge from our ego. Yet gratitude improves all human relationships, both in the family and at work.

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THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

IMPORTANCE OF GRATITUDE

La gratitude It is a single, large gateway to multiple directions. The etymology of the word itself, from the Latin free (grateful), contains the three paths of the same and unique feeling: the memory, affection, and desire. Perhaps because of this excessive burden of content, we become stingy with gratitude. We don't acknowledge it, and instead seek excuses to avoid it: it was we, with our own abilities, who achieved a goal, and we should never say thank you to anyone.

GRATITUDE

The first road we take, once we have crossed the gate of the gratitudeIt's about moving beyond the ego, beyond our narcissism, beyond a natural instinct for self-sufficiency and arrogance, to get closer to others. It seems like a simple step, even obvious, in the face of evidence. But it isn't. It often happens that we've been helped, that we've received more than momentary support, that we've found ourselves in a certain place or position thanks to someone: everything is repressed. Erased. Like something uncomfortable, something that puts us at risk. our ego and prevents us from recognizing the truth, that is, the fact that we have received something not so much through our own merits but through the kindness and help of others. To whom we should at least be thankful. And not a stubborn and proud silence, a clear dismissal of a small thing we consider too inconvenient. To the point of having to deny it.

ALSO READ: Harmony, a key to happiness. Feeling good about yourself and others, that's inner well-being.

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VALUE OF GRATITUDE

The Gospel is full of passages in which even Jesus is surprised by theingratitude, but he doesn't blame the arrogant man, incapable of being grateful. He simply admonishes him to come out of himself, to open his heart to approach others through this door, this disposition of mind that combines religion and good manners. One of the wisest things about gratitude was said by Confucius, and it is a warning that should not sound sinister, but realistic: «Do not do good if you do not have the strength to bear ingratitude.».

Once upon a time, it was common among gentlemen, in the lexicon of spontaneous and everyday etiquette, to address even the simplest of courtesies with words such as "I am obliged to you." Today, it has become difficult even to say and hear words such as "excuse","thanks", "I am grateful to you."

THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

Several psychological studies emphasize the therapeutic nature of gratitude. We know, for example, that it improves blood circulation and produces benefits capable of slow down aging. The opposite of what Aristotle thought, according to which "what ages quickly is gratitude." But it is on the psychological level that gratitude most powerfully expands its qualities.

It generates empathy, broadens relationships, and introduces us to the realm of the most intimate affections. Conduct a very simple experiment, and you'll find confirmation of these theories in the field. If you get into the habit of using the word "more frequently, and when necessary,"thanks"As a first step toward a more rounded gratitude, you will see that your interlocutor will also have an attitude towards you inspired by courtesy, kindness, and good manners. An almost natural, instinctive affection. Because gratitude, a sort of conversion of the heart toward the other, is precisely a gesture that opens the horizons of non-formal human relationships, but loads of humanity.

EXERCISE GRATITUDE

Of course, there are areas in which this chemistry of affects linked to the exercise of gratitude It becomes very difficult. Also because forms of violence often prevail, almost unavoidable. One of these areas is power. A leader's disciple will always struggle, if he wants to take his place, to be grateful. Indeed, he will be ready, at the right moment, to stab in the back the person to whom he owes a debt of gratitude. And somehow he must do it, since parricide, one of the highest forms of ingratitude, is an ingredient in the climb to power. It accelerates the process. And here the only preventive measure, with respect to a poison that exists in things and therefore flows like blood in our veins, lies in our conscience, in how we use it, with freedom and with responsibilityWhat limits we want to place on our ambitions and the goals we use to achieve them. Knowing that on these topics it's always best to avoid clichés and predictable paths. While it's true that power inherently carries a certain violence, it's equally true that there's a vast literature on men and women who have wielded it, with excellent results, without being consumed by it. And transfigured.

BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE

Finally, gratitude it's a wish. Which travels in two directions: from those who helped us and from those who received the help. The mere memory of the benefit received, the recognition that someone has been on our side with generosity and an open heart, pushes us to want to reciprocate. To express our gratitude by giving back something of what we have received.

The mechanism is evident in the parent-child relationshipFor a long part of life, the roles are clear: parents give, children receive. Then it's only a sense of gratitude (remember: it leads to love) that pushes children to reverse roles. To become parents of aging fathers and mothers. But precisely for this reason, they are more in need of our help, our gratitude, our affection. And our gratitude.

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