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Virtue: Thanksgiving
‘A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues’ (Cicero)
Habits of Mind: Responding with Wonderment and Awe.
For those brought up within a religious tradition, thanksgiving is a regular feature of prayer and worship. Early on in our lives we may have been encouraged to ‘count our blessings’ and even sing about them. During late summer and early autumn many people participate in harvest festivals remembering with thanks, the food they have in abundance and seek to give to those for whom abundance cannot be taken for granted. In fact, an attitude of thankfulness is closely associated with giving, which may be why Cicero, the Roman orator, once said, “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.”
Secular thinkers have also latched on to the benefits of gratitude as an attitude to cultivate. There is now an annual World Gratitude Day and according to the Mayo Clinic, a daily gratitude practice has been shown to significantly increase happiness and physical health. Practicing gratitude improves sleep, boosts immunity and helps to decrease the risk of disease. So, it can certainly improve individual wellbeing, but for it to be a virtue, gratitude should be less about personal gain and more outwardly directed towards those on whom we depend, and for all those things we take for granted, including the natural world. Gratitude recognises that none of us are simply ‘self-made’ and that many people and fortunate circumstances contribute to the good things that come our way. It is for those we can be thankful and express gratitude.
Of course, public expressions of gratitude are quite rare, even more so if they are religious in tone. Yet some of our sporting stars have often been seen to do just that. Footballers Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling regularly invoke God in thanks for their success. On winning the young London player of the year award in 2022, Saka even tweeted ‘God’s Work’. While success has come through hard work and commitment, they acknowledge that they too are not simply ‘self-made’. And their attitude of gratitude has led them also to become notable in their altruism and active concern for others. Their thankful hearts have indeed parented other virtues.
So, this week perhaps we could start the day if not with a prayer of gratitude, then a list of those things for which we are truly thankful. Bringing them to mind daily is not only good for us but may encourage us towards acting more thoughtfully and generously towards others.
Christine Crossley