We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. – Thornton Wilder
This is one way to remind yourself to be grateful each day. Can you think of another?
What does that mean?
That is profound. It posits that there is one time when we are truly alive, and feel the full vigor and vibrancy of the life of the world around us.
The quote says that time is not when we have great treasures, as not all of us have, or ever accumulate great treasures. But the quote implies that we all have some treasures, or something to treasure.
The quote says that we are alive when our heart is aware of what treasure we have. Without that awareness, how would we know just how great our lives truly are?
From that, we can infer that someone with great treasure, but an unconscious heart doesn’t feel as alive as someone with a small treasure, but in possession of a very aware heart.
Why is being grateful for what we have important?
No matter how much we have, someone will have more. That is just math. With over 7 billion competitors, the odds that we can best every single one is beyond microscopic. Does that mean we’ll never be happy, that we will never feel that we are truly alive?
I hope not. That would be a sad state of affairs, if only a handful of people, the ones with the largest amount of ‘treasure’, could truly feel alive and be happy. Yet somehow, even in the poorest corners of the globe, there are people who are happy, and feel more alive than some of the people with great treasures.
If we look at it another way, how can one be happy with what one expects? Are you happy the sun came up this morning, or did you simply expect it to happen? Are you happy that you ate breakfast this morning, or did you simply expect it to be there? For those who don’t know if they will live until tomorrow, or don’t have food, these are great moments in their lives.
There is a tenancy to take things for granted. There will always be a tomorrow. There will always be enough food. There will always be a roof over our heads. But it isn’t true. Life can be quite dynamic, and not always in a positive way. Learn to be grateful for what treasures you have.
Where can I apply this in my life?
I have already pointed out a few things we tend to overlook in our busy lives. Pretty much anyone who has an internet connection, probably has little worries of starving to death any time soon. Similarly, most of us are probably in better than average health. We really do have it good.
That isn’t to diminish our challenges, for we all have those. But we also have an abundance of treasures, most of which we ignore or at least overlook. But that is the point of the quote, to become truly alive by noticing the treasures around us, and which we trample underfoot.
Humans are natural mis-matchers. It probably comes from our ancient past when noticing what wasn’t the same was important. “Bush, bush, tiger, bush, … um, run?” Yes, it’s kind of corny, but we seem to be very good at noticing what is different, and most often when we are the different person, and even more so when we have less.
Take a moment and consider all the things you have in your life for which you are grateful. If you don’t have a new car, do you have a car? If you don’t have a car, do you have some other way to get places? If you have to walk, are you grateful that you can walk, and aren’t confined to a chair?
While you can probably find people who make more than you do, are there any who make less than you? Can you be grateful for the wealth, however small it may seem, that you have? Can you be glad you aren’t worse off? Can you feel sorry for those who have less?
I don’t have any exact statistics handy, but how wealthy do you think the poorest 10% of the industrialized nations would be if they were living in the average third world country? I imagine that they would be amazed at how little the rest of the world had.
I know that I am always amazed when I see how some of these people live. And yet they can be happy without an iPhone or a computer. How do they manage that? They have been able to count their treasures, and open their hearts to the joy of what they do have.
The flip side of the quote is how we die a little inside when we get jealous of what others have. Our hearts become closed, cold, and hardened, and we lose sight of our treasures. All the while we are busy lusting after that which others have. How alive are we in those moments?
Consider taking a little time each morning or each evening (or both, or more) to consider all the great things you have in your life, and even the ‘average’ or ‘normal’ things in your life. And remember, no matter how little you have, there are those who have less, so try to be grateful that you have what you do.
From: Twitter, @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/November_23 2006 winner
Photo by g (gisele13)
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- Cultivating Gratitude Every Day (blogs.psychcentral.com)
- Please, love your lives. (tsyfitness.wordpress.com)
- Be grateful, it’s good for the soul & mind (ferrahchino.wordpress.com)
