Interfaith Insight - 2021
Permanent link for "Gratitude and thanksgiving, fundamental to a fulfilling life" by Doug Kindschi on November 23, 2021
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly
prayer.
And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and
welcome good.”
These words from Maya Angelou open a recent book by church
historian and author Diana Butler Bass, Grateful: The
Transformative Power of Giving Thanks. She makes it clear that
she is not talking about sending thank you notes, or that “painful
Thanksgiving dinner exercise in which no one eats until everyone at
the table says something they are thankful for. … It feels more like a
turkey hostage situation than a spiritual exercise in grace.”
She goes on to explain the Western tradition of making gratitude
a kind of “commodity of exchange – a transaction of debt and duty.”
You receive something, a birthday, Christmas, or Bar Mitzvah gift, but
also receive the duty to respond with a thank you note or some
expression of gratitude to the benefactor. Thanksgiving is more than
sending thank you notes or responding to an individual gift.
Instead, she offers an alternate structure where we acknowledge
the gifts all around us every day. She writes, “The universe is a
gift. Air, light, soil, and water are gifts. Friendship, love, sex,
and family are gifts. We live on a gifted planet. Everything we need
is here, with us. We freely respond to these gifts by choosing a life
of mutual care.”
Gratitude is from the same Greek word gratia, as is the
word grace. It suggests indiscriminate generosity, “gifts given
without being earned and with no expectation of return.” She calls it
a kind of defiance in the face of evil. “Gratitude undoes evil by
tunneling under its foundations of anger, resentment, and greed.”
Bass also cites the results from science, sociology, and
psychology. She sees gratitude as a way to integrate science and faith
in new ways to “reveal healing dimensions of human experience.”
Science, especially the field of psychology, has in recent
decades turned to the study of the positive characteristics that lead
to human flourishing and contribute to a well-lived and fulfilling life.
The turn away from primarily studying maladaptive behavior is
often attributed to a talk given by Martin Seligman in his
presidential address to the American Psychological Association in
1998. The positive psychology movement has resulted in scores of books
and hundreds of scientific studies and articles. It seeks to
understand and assess positive emotion and ways of human engagement
that contribute to the sense of well-being. It studies the
relationships with friends and family and other social connections
that promote meaning, or the sense of being a part of something bigger
than oneself.
Another recent book, The Science of Virtue, by Mark
McMinn, looks at numerous studies of such virtues as wisdom,
forgiveness, humility, and hope. He writes, “The essence of most
virtues is that they self-limit the rights or privileges of the self
on behalf of the welfare of others.” McMinn also invites us to see
science and faith as good conversation partners rather than foes.
The studies on gratitude and forgiveness have grown to yield over
100 scientific articles each year. They show positive connections
between forgiveness and such health benefits as lower blood pressure,
heart rate, and muscle tension. Forgiveness also reduces levels of
pain, anger, and psychological distress as well as decreased relapse
rates for persons with problems of substance abuse. The decision to
forgive releases the emotions of bitterness and anger that contribute
to these unhealthy conditions. It is also a component in moving from
being a victim of past hurts and taking action to promote a more
positive future outcome.
Huston Smith is a well-known author and expert on philosophy and
world religions. Smith’s book, The World’s Religions, sold
millions of copies, is used widely as a college textbook, and has been
translated into 12 languages. In his final book, And Live
Rejoicing, Smith identifies gratitude and empathy as the “two
categorical, unconditional virtues.”
McMinn also writes of gratitude and the scientific studies that
point to its benefits. He sees gratitude as calling us to a humility
that recognizes “that we cannot and need not be self-sufficient.” The
studies of gratitude show its relationship to sleeping better,
exercising more, and even visiting the doctor less often. Dozens of
studies have made this connection between gratitude and mental as well
as physical health. It is associated with life satisfaction and
decreased risk of depression and anxiety disorders. Gratitude
journaling is a recommended practice that contributes to many of these
positive results.
In all of the world’s religions gratitude is emphasized and even
an obligation. The Jewish Morning Prayer gives thanks for being alive
another day. Christians are entreated to “give thanks in all
circumstances.” The Qur’an reminds us that our very life is a gift,
and the month of fasting and prayer during Ramadan is to remind one to
be thankful in all things. For Hindus, Buddhists, and other Eastern
religions, gratitude is emphasized not as an obligation but as a
response to the many gifts we all receive each day.
Whether we understand it through the science that studies the
virtues, or realize it as a part of our religious beliefs, gratitude
and thanksgiving are fundamental to living a life with meaning.