Thailand. Samanea SamanAlso known as the “Rain Tree,” this tree increases soil fertility. It is used in furniture, crafts, construction, and traditional medicine. It grows in a variety of environments, from northern South America to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It grows to a height of 50-80 feet with a crown diameter of up to 100 feet. It can tolerate up to 8 feet of rainfall per year and can withstand 2-4 months of drought. It grows quickly (+/- 6 feet per year for the first few years) and is becoming increasingly popular due to its many benefits.
Gratitude, like the blessings of the rain tree, has the power to change our lives. In our pursuit of satisfaction, we often fail to notice the abundance that surrounds us. If we don’t really want something, we can never have enough. [*] If gratitude were simply about feeling good, it would be just another momentary pleasure. A famous cartoon parody comes to mind, in which Linus asks Charlie Brown, “Do you want a warm, tingly, shivering feeling all over your body? Then pee in your pants.”
Unlike an emotion, gratitude can be present without being felt. It’s a disposition, a mindset, a habit, or, more specifically, something I learned growing up in Latin America. Your Manager Gratitude (literally, “the way you are”) is a fundamental part of an individual’s character. Gratitude doesn’t change what we face, but how we deal with it, revealing that life itself is a gift. As the saying goes, “Just think how happy you’d be if you lost everything you have and then got it back.”
In our fast-paced society, thinking is a distraction and gratitude is unimportant. Digital technology overwhelms us with information and “answers,” and we are constantly interrupted. Urgency is mistaken for importance, and momentary pleasure is mistaken for gratitude. The simple facts of life are left unresolved in mindfulness retreats. No law in the universe dictates that we can live one more day or take one more breath. I hesitated every time my father, a pastor, thanked God for adding this day to our lives as if we had died last night. It is true. Life is a gift. To forget is to take it for granted.
Hannah Arendt argued that Adolf Eichmann took for granted what made him happy and never thought about it. He was a respectable family man and a decent citizen, and certainly had no idea that he was doing anything wrong. His conscience would have troubled him only if he had disobeyed orders. His horrific crimes arose from an inability or unwillingness to think about his actions and their moral implications. Eichmann simply did what came naturally. Arendt spoke of the “banality of evil” and emphasized how ordinary people can commit atrocities simply because they find no reason to think about them.
Arendt was shocked by Eichmann’s seeming normality, but she never suggested that anyone could commit the same atrocities. Yet, even if they are less harmful, our everyday actions do not absolve us from sin. Doing good deeds is often the easiest, because it would be too much trouble to do otherwise. Besides, “I have a reputation to defend.” As someone once said, “Virtue is a lack of opportunity, vice is too much effort.” A friend once said, “I’m so old now, I have no choice.” Thinking about how to act is not about appreciating the opportunities.
Almighty God is shrewd. Famously known for the Ten Commandments, God knew what any good parent knows: you can’t just tell people what to do. Threats are no match for positive promises. Before giving the Ten Commandments, God basically said, “I am the Lord your God, who freed you from slavery. Trust me. I know a thing or two about freedom. Come, let me carve it in stone for you.”
In the chaos of modern times, debates rage about whether morality can be legislated and where the Ten Commandments should be posted. Whether you take God seriously or not, you can get some good ideas. Telling people what to do isn’t effective. Gratitude makes doing good deeds second nature and fosters the best arguments. It won’t please everyone, but gratitude encourages more compassionate, less defensive interactions and encourages productive discussions rather than argument-winning ones.
Gratitude fosters courage and reduces feelings of fear and inadequacy by shifting the focus from what we lack to what we have. Since the time of Cicero in the 1st century BCE, and in Greek philosophy before him, gratitude has been considered the foundation of virtue and the catalyst for eloquence. When we are grateful for the abundance in our lives, we are more likely to develop qualities such as kindness, empathy, and humility. A medieval theologian wrote, “If the only prayer we ever say in our lifetime is ‘Thank you,’ that will be enough.” Contemporary spiritual leaders like Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama have written, “It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us happy.”
The incomparable author Anne Lamott writes about what she calls “the three basic prayers”: help, gratitude… oh.
yes.
Notes and reading
of Samanea Samanor “Rain Tree” – Useful tropical plants (Link)
> look Plant a tree – source: – A 501(c)3 environmental charity (highly regarded as a charitable organization) focused on global reforestation efforts.
[*] “You can never have enough of anything you don’t really want” – Toni Morrison wrote this “Third beer syndrome” In her novel Song of SolomonA character is likened to a third beer: not as satisfying as the first, not as enjoyable as the second, and just drunk without much thought or gratitude. – Hoffer’s statement is quoted without specific reference by James Hillman in “The Myth of Therapy: Interviews with James Hillman.” Sun (April 1991), 2-19.
Appreciative Perspectives: An Interdisciplinary Approach (2017). Editor: David Carr. Carr is Professor of Ethics and Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtue at the University of Birmingham, UK.
Eichmann in Jerusalem – Hannah Arendt (1963, 2006).
Hannah Arendt and the Banality of Evil – Stephen J. Whitefield, Brandeis University. History Teacher (August 1981). JSTOR
Gratitude is the “source of all virtues.” Cicero, Proplancio (For Plancius), a legal defense speech given on behalf of his friend Gnaeus Plancius, 1st century BC.
Medieval theologians – Meister Eckhart, 13th century. This quote is often attributed to Eckhart as it reflects his own ideas, but contemporary sources attribute it to brother David Steindl-Rast., of “A Modern Spiritual Teacher” It is mentioned in the following references: Gratitude and Prayer: An Approach to a Fulfilling Life – With Henri Nouwen – (1984)
Anne Lamott – Help, Thank You, Wow: Three Important Prayers(year 2012).
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
