Que: What is Gratitude?
V: Being grateful is courageous. Gratitude is not a word or feeling or emotion but it is state of being.
Gratefulness doesn’t mean to be just thankful for what all you have got today but to be thankfully surrendered for what you have and what you are today. Isn’t easy to say “thanks” to a force which you have neither seen nor witnessed? That you can say anytime whenever you are happy, celebrating, joyous etc and you can also learn to say thanks even when you are not happy. Now, that’s actually not thanksgiving because when you are unhappy and inside shattered, that time thanksgiving is said as to heal the inside. That is what is hypocrisy of mind. Being unhappy, saying thanks in order to calm the inner struggle by falsely settling the thoughts. This understanding requires very very close observation of ones mind. Do you observe your mind for- when does your mind is being thankful? Look it at closely, quietly and sincerely. Until you are true to yourself for your own inner world, you can not raise above these turmoils of your own unknown mind. Have you ever been thankful to people around you on their face; for what all they have contributed in your life, to anyone who has taught you something in your life? or you have just pretended in front of your friends that you are always thankful or you are merely mis-using the term gratefulness for the sake of showing up that you practice gratitude or whatever you call it to project yourself as spiritual. Don’t you behave indifferent when people are with you and when they are not with you. You admit thankfulness in the front and you gossip & foul-mouth for same people whom you were thankful at a time. That’s what is your slavery of your own mind which is totally unknown to you. You know, it’s different to convey “thankfulness” to people on their face because that requires immense courage and it’s more courageous even to remain in that state even if life between two of you is changed. That is when you realize gratitude. It’s a realization not a mere practice of lip work; when you are neither happy nor unhappy, neither you desire something nor your fear any loss, yet you remain quiet, blissful, you experience peace which is unshakeable and you are deeply contented for what you life had brought you and what it will bring ahead. That’s Gratitude.