Gratitude and interdependence
There was an old man who went for his daily walks to keep himself fit and healthy.
One such day when he went for his early morning walk he noticed a man struggling to get up from the footpath. He took sympathy on that man and gave him some water, supported him to get up and helped him to walk. The man recovered from whatever physical state he was in and went his way. He not only not thanked the old man for helping him but didn't even acknowledge the old man for his help.
The old man went ahead with his early morning walk thinking what a strange man that was who didn't thank or acknowledge his gesture of going out to help that man! The old man shook off that thought from his mind and finished his daily routine and returned home.
After finishing his morning routine and his breakfast, the old man went outside to his garden and sat on a chair under a tree enjoying the early morning cool breeze.
The old man's mind went back to that early morning incidence and felt odd that the man who got help from him didn't even say thanks and his mind engulfed in similar incidences in his life where people hadn't thanked him for whatever chivalrous work he had done and wondered whether "thanks" has become a rare expressions and whether over a period of years the expression "thanks" is vanishing from the vocabulary of people and wondered whether one day that expression will cease to exist! He wondered what this world has come to?!
But then he consoled himself that at least this man didn't disrespect or scolded or accused him, which he thought sometimes it happened that people who got help do come back to tell you that the help extended by you really didn't do any good to them but in fact harmed them, leaving you puzzled and guilty for the help you extended.
His mind reverted to himself and he asked himself whether he had thanked enough all the people who had helped him. He felt he had on such occasions had thanked people who had shown some act of kindness and helped him.
He then thought he was old enough and at least he would set an example by making a list of people and things to whom/which had helped him in his to whom he owed his thanks and gratitude. He decided that he would thank them all before he left for his heavenly abode.
He wondered where to begin the list of people who helped him. He thought he would begin the list with his parents, his siblings, his friends, his school teacher and his colleagues.... and so on...
While he was contemplating about these people who had helped him, his attention went to the clothes he was wearing... he thought ... Hey... I have never thought of who made this dress possible, without their help I would have lead a naked existence!
His mind went to the basic thing the dress was made of - it was made of cotton.. He thought the farmer made it possible so would include the farmer in the list of people he would thank. Then he thought about the people who helped him in farming, the bullocks.... ...at that moment he burped and his mind turned to the breakfast he just had... again he realized that a chain of people and things were involved in making that days breakfast possible for him and he would include all those people to be thanked ..... then he turned looking to many facets of his life... and the more he contemplated the more convinced he was that each facet of his life had a chain of people who made that facet possible and all of them were to be included in the list of people to be thanked.
The more he thought the more people there were who made things possible for his existence and the number of people seemed to swell to millions who were connected and contributed in some way or the other to every aspect of his life which made his existence possible!
He then thought of the earth, the sun, the moon, the sky, the nature, the seasons, the air he breathed .. the list was endless... all things contributed to his very existence as a Hunan being on this earth.
He wondered about the mystical force that interconnected all the people and the things in this world in such a beatific harmony. The existence of a human being was made possible by the inter connected and interdependence of all things on this earth.
He was amazed at this realization that his existence is interdependent and he owed his thanks to every person on this earth and all the natural forces on this planet.
His throat swelled in gratitude and at that moment he kneeled down on the earth and bowed and thanked every person on this planet and the natural forces and the mystical force that interconnected all of them!
This world is an interdependent reality. Isn't it true that all of us are interdependent? The nature and the people are interdependent. That every one of us owe our existences to every other person on this planet in some way or the other and the natural forces and the Devine mystical force that interconnects and makes life possible for us?
If ever you wondered what gratitude is - don't struggle hard - simply remember and remind yourself that all the people on this earth are in some way contributing to your very existence and your life depends on that inter-dependence - gratitude will spontaneously arise in your heart for all the people around you and on this earth.
In that realization lies the gratitude. Gratitude to be thankful for every moment of our existence on this earth to every one and the mystical Devine Force which makes our life possible on this earth.
This world in an interdependent reality and when we know this reality, we will be thankful for not only for receiving but also for giving and ultimately to respect every one and everything and gratitude will spontaneously arise in us making us grateful and gratified!
There was an old man who went for his daily walks to keep himself fit and healthy.
One such day when he went for his early morning walk he noticed a man struggling to get up from the footpath. He took sympathy on that man and gave him some water, supported him to get up and helped him to walk. The man recovered from whatever physical state he was in and went his way. He not only not thanked the old man for helping him but didn't even acknowledge the old man for his help.
The old man went ahead with his early morning walk thinking what a strange man that was who didn't thank or acknowledge his gesture of going out to help that man! The old man shook off that thought from his mind and finished his daily routine and returned home.
After finishing his morning routine and his breakfast, the old man went outside to his garden and sat on a chair under a tree enjoying the early morning cool breeze.
The old man's mind went back to that early morning incidence and felt odd that the man who got help from him didn't even say thanks and his mind engulfed in similar incidences in his life where people hadn't thanked him for whatever chivalrous work he had done and wondered whether "thanks" has become a rare expressions and whether over a period of years the expression "thanks" is vanishing from the vocabulary of people and wondered whether one day that expression will cease to exist! He wondered what this world has come to?!
But then he consoled himself that at least this man didn't disrespect or scolded or accused him, which he thought sometimes it happened that people who got help do come back to tell you that the help extended by you really didn't do any good to them but in fact harmed them, leaving you puzzled and guilty for the help you extended.
His mind reverted to himself and he asked himself whether he had thanked enough all the people who had helped him. He felt he had on such occasions had thanked people who had shown some act of kindness and helped him.
He then thought he was old enough and at least he would set an example by making a list of people and things to whom/which had helped him in his to whom he owed his thanks and gratitude. He decided that he would thank them all before he left for his heavenly abode.
He wondered where to begin the list of people who helped him. He thought he would begin the list with his parents, his siblings, his friends, his school teacher and his colleagues.... and so on...
While he was contemplating about these people who had helped him, his attention went to the clothes he was wearing... he thought ... Hey... I have never thought of who made this dress possible, without their help I would have lead a naked existence!
His mind went to the basic thing the dress was made of - it was made of cotton.. He thought the farmer made it possible so would include the farmer in the list of people he would thank. Then he thought about the people who helped him in farming, the bullocks.... ...at that moment he burped and his mind turned to the breakfast he just had... again he realized that a chain of people and things were involved in making that days breakfast possible for him and he would include all those people to be thanked ..... then he turned looking to many facets of his life... and the more he contemplated the more convinced he was that each facet of his life had a chain of people who made that facet possible and all of them were to be included in the list of people to be thanked.
The more he thought the more people there were who made things possible for his existence and the number of people seemed to swell to millions who were connected and contributed in some way or the other to every aspect of his life which made his existence possible!
He then thought of the earth, the sun, the moon, the sky, the nature, the seasons, the air he breathed .. the list was endless... all things contributed to his very existence as a Hunan being on this earth.
He wondered about the mystical force that interconnected all the people and the things in this world in such a beatific harmony. The existence of a human being was made possible by the inter connected and interdependence of all things on this earth.
He was amazed at this realization that his existence is interdependent and he owed his thanks to every person on this earth and all the natural forces on this planet.
His throat swelled in gratitude and at that moment he kneeled down on the earth and bowed and thanked every person on this planet and the natural forces and the mystical force that interconnected all of them!
This world is an interdependent reality. Isn't it true that all of us are interdependent? The nature and the people are interdependent. That every one of us owe our existences to every other person on this planet in some way or the other and the natural forces and the Devine mystical force that interconnects and makes life possible for us?
If ever you wondered what gratitude is - don't struggle hard - simply remember and remind yourself that all the people on this earth are in some way contributing to your very existence and your life depends on that inter-dependence - gratitude will spontaneously arise in your heart for all the people around you and on this earth.
In that realization lies the gratitude. Gratitude to be thankful for every moment of our existence on this earth to every one and the mystical Devine Force which makes our life possible on this earth.
This world in an interdependent reality and when we know this reality, we will be thankful for not only for receiving but also for giving and ultimately to respect every one and everything and gratitude will spontaneously arise in us making us grateful and gratified!
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