Five Things That YOU Can Be Grateful for Right Now

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” ~ Marcus Cicero, Roman statesman. “Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.” ~ Joseph Stalin, Soviet leader.

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Okay, so there are various views on gratitude, but let’s stay positive and realise that there are lots of things to be grateful for even when the universe seems to conspire against us. In this video, based on what I know about you, I will give you five things to be grateful for. Of course, many of us tend to find ourselves complaining more often than we should. I’m guilty of this, too. We’d rather complain about that long queue at the supermarket than appreciate the fact that we’re still able to buy food.

The first thing that you should be grateful for is that you’re alive. Holy Dooley! How did that happen! Even if you’re the staunchest atheist and believe that life appeared spontaneously out of an essentially random mixture of chemical soup, or if you believe in some sort of higher power and you were chosen to exist, either way, whatever your beliefs, your very existence is extremely remarkable and certainly something to be grateful for.

Number Two – Freedom. The very fact that you are watching this video means that you live in at least a somewhat free country. There are countries in the world were the very watching of this video is illegal, not because it’s particular controversial, but because the leaders of those countries do not want their people to be influenced by any outside sources. In your country, you can express your own ideas. You can tell the world if you don’t like your leader or not. Yes, I know we could argue that our freedoms are slowly being eroded, and yes there are some rules that we don’t agree with, but guess what? Every country has stupid laws, because every country is led by people, and people are fallible. No country that I have ever been too has been perfectly free. Every country has endless rules, laws and regulations. Anyway, the point is, it’s impossible to be perfectly free as long as people are in charge. But you can at least accept that if you can watch this video of mine, then you at least have some sort of freedom of expression in your country, which is something that we should all be grateful for.

Number Three – Modern Conveniences. If you’re watching this video, I know you have access to the internet. If you have access to the Internet, I know you have access to electricity. Electricity means hot water. Hot water means you can come home after a cold day out and have a nice warm shower. Not only is the water warm, it’s clean! Holy crap, man! You’re living like a king! If you have access to hot water, you certainly have access to a wide range of cheap foods. Yeah, sometimes we complain about food prices, or lack of toilet paper, or whatever else, but the fact remains, food is cheaper and more plentiful than it ever has been in human history. Kings of old could only dream of the amount of food that we have available to us. It’s plentiful. It’s cheap. We should certainly be grateful for it.

Number Four – Family. I admit, this is the most cliched item on this list, but the fact remains, you wouldn’t be here unless it was for your family. Yeah, okay, your relationship with your parents may not be perfect. You may not have had the most wonderful childhood, but the fact is, somebody raised you somewhat successfully. If you’re alive, it’s because somebody succeeded in getting you to adulthood. Even if you had a bad childhood, you can still use those experiences to learn and to grow, and to know what you shouldn’t do. Even the mafia (or at least the fictional mafia) prioritise family above all else. “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” ~ Don Vito Corleone. Or if you prefer the Mexican cartels, “Family is all.” ~ Hector Salamanca. Okay, enough pop culture references. The point is, you should be at least somewhat grateful for your family.

And lucky last, Number Five – You’re Still Breathing. Yes, this is similar to Number One – You’re Alive, but the fact that you’re still alive is something to be grateful for. With all the pestilence, war, famine, natural disasters, and daily accidents, somehow you’re still here! You made it! You got through the pandemic! You got through childbirth (the most dangerous trip of your life). A hundred billion or more humans came before you, but you’re still here. I don’t know why you’re here, but you’re here. You survived it all! Surely, that’s something to be grateful for.

MUSIC
Melancholia by Godmode

#gratitude #appreciation #lifelessons