It is important to have a day dedicated to saying Thank You. Of course, as with Mother’s Day, the project can devolve into a commercial, saccharine mockery. My inbox is full of Thanksgiving reflections–many of which are profound, others not so much. Is there anything I can add to the discussion?
Enter Ignatius of Loyola writing in a letter (1592) that “ingratitude was likely the cause and source of all evil and sin.” (Savary, 2010, pg. 51) At first it sounded to me as a bit hyperbolic. Then I thought more about it. Looking at the seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth), I could see that none of these happen in a vacuum; all occur one way or another in relationship. Each one describes a transgression against oneself or another person.
So where does gratitude come into the equation? I think what Ignatius is saying is that if I am thankful for the miracle of you then I am less likely to sin against you. It will be harder to use and abuse you. And if I can experience my own self as a miracle? Then it follows that it will be harder to use and abuse my own self.
Which brings me to Einstein:
“There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Building on that:
“There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though no one is a miracle.
The other is as though every one is a miracle.”
