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Gratitude is a virtue that is very much neglected nowadays. Many
people have forgotten how to even say thank you for the great
blessings in their lives, never mind the little ones. They take
without a word of appreciation.
What is it that makes one person show
appreciation while another seems totally insensitive to his
benefactors?
The home plays the most important part in
shaping values and character. And parents are usually the reason why
kids grow into appreciative adults. Parents are also to blame for
children who are quick to take but slow to say thank you.
Children who are taught to say thanks early in
life are more likely to show appreciation in their later years. But
there are young people who do not have the habit and who seem
unaware of the value of what people do for them. It is as if nobody
sat down and explained to them that when people do things for them,
gratefulness is called for.
But for gratefulness to be expressed after kids
leave home, understanding is required. I know countless young people
from “good” families who quickly forget what they were taught at
home. This is because they have been told to say thank you without
it ever having been explained to them why thank yous are called for.
Gratefulness is more than simple upbringing. A
man must have a matured mind to be truly and deeply thankful. He
must have the ability to recognize that someone has been good to him
and has sacrificed and shared with him something worthwhile. It is
this awareness and these insights that cause his heart to experience
an upsurge of emotion and an outpouring of feelings of gratitude.
If he does not see why he should be grateful
then his thank you is shallow and insincere, if it comes at all.
It’s merely a formality devoid of any real feeling.
Mature men can better appreciate people, even
the little ones, because of their sensitivity and understanding. The
story is told about a university student who was riding a train into
Paris one day. He sat next to a man who was silently praying his
rosary. The young man introduced himself and began telling the old
man about the wonders of science he had discovered in his chemistry
classes.
The old man listened intently: The student was
so motivated by the interest shown by the gentleman in the crumpled
suit that he offered to send him some books on the topics he had
touched upon and asked for his address. The old man was very
thankful and sincerely grateful. The young student almost collapsed
when he read the name on the card the gentleman gave him: Louis
Pasteur.
The renowned scientist was grateful because he
understood what the youngster was trying to do. His great mind
quickly grasped the sincere motives of the boy. And he was grateful
for that.
Many people don’t say thank you to God because
they cannot see why they should do so. They say they have nothing to
be thankful for. They feel only the weight of their problems and
frustrations on their shoulders.
Even those of us who are blessed forget to say
thank you because we cannot see our blessings, or if we can, we do
not understand the role God plays in our lives. Therefore, we see no
reason to thank Him.
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If you have problems about drugs, alcohol and
behavior/attitude call my office at 820-6107 or 825-1771 or e-mail
me at gvcbuenca@vasia.com or write me at P.O. Box 2099 MCPO, Makati
City.
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