Gratitude

One of my favorite books I’ve listened to on Audible, “The Art of Happiness”, has a section where the Dalai Lama talks about envisioning how dependent we are on people around us.  Really, we all have a lot to be grateful for, and thinking about how dependent we are on others is really a pondering point on the matter.  I feel like as a society we tend to get wrapped up in what we want as important.  There is not enough emphasis on wanting what you have.  Or respecting what you have.  Or appropriately classifying things as important or not.  Having the latest and greatest seems to be the common goal of our society.  Other’s efforts are rarely a point of consideration.  Anything that doesn’t work is thrown away. 

When I ponder my place in the world, I realize how my efforts are just part of a whole world that contributes to any success I have.  And how difficult it is at times to keep the right perspective on the world around me.  Everything around me buzzes about how “more and the best” is what I should seek.  As I am writing this, it is Christmas time.  A time of year I do find some benefit to but continue to find more used in corrupt means as I get older.  I hear the ideas of the season and then I see people’s behavior.  The two are not in alignment as much as they should be.  Good will towards men and gratitude are expressed as trampling people over to get the best gift for someone, bitching about for family gatherings for some, and stress in general.  Regardless of a person’s religious beliefs, anywhere from atheist to devout follower should have the basic understanding of being respectful and grateful.  This isn’t a mannerism that should require religious teaching, though I would assert that religion should be more than willing to stand behind it.  Christmas is not meant to cause any negative emotions or actions.  A better sense of gratitude and respect for others as the true focus should stay front and center.

As I went for a walk yesterday on my break at work, I considered all the man-made items around me, people that might have been involved making them and their life.  Then I considered some of the people that support their life.  It can be layers deep.  Something as simple as a wooden utility pole, which is what I initially thought on.  This pole helps provide things that we have grown reliant on for years and years.  You may say, what a basic and silly to think about.  There are tons of poles and they obviously don’t take much effort to make or there wouldn’t be so many.  This is the problem – basic things are often overlooked or discounted in value.  I must admit, it is a basic object that most would overlook as part of their existence.  However, light at home, the ability to cook, heating and cooling of the home, medical equipment, electronics we use to communicate all rely on electricity making it to our house.  There are so many things that contribute to my life that something this simple helps achieve.  What went into making this utility pole?  I imagine there was a crew of lumberjacks that had to cut trees down.  They probably work hard hours and it’s clearly a very physical job I could not do for very long on my own.  I might even hurt myself in the process.  Even the crew probably cannot bring big trees down solo unless they have some machinery to help.  You could start considering the people that make that equipment, but we will stick to one person.  What struggles and pain does each of these people endure?  I imagine there’s a chance they come home exhausted and dirty.  Their body will eventually hurt from the physical exertion.  What do these things do to the people around him?  The lumberjack might be single – lonely and wishing for companionship or friends.  He might have many friends or a family.  If he is lonely then his loneliness is, in a small part, paying for my comfort.  Seems insignificant, but when you consider how many people had to put effort in for each object you knowingly or unknowingly use, it gets big. His family may not get the time with him that they want or need.

There are some demanding jobs that require a person to be located away from home for weeks or months straight.  Some operators, such as electrical power plant operators, 911 operators, policemen, and many others I’m not thinking of require that a person is away from their spouse, family, or friends at odd hours.  This impacts them in ways I won’t understand.  And ones I as a human being would empathize with.

As I continued my walk, I felt a little better about humans despite the atrocities and horrible things they can do to each other.  Sometimes people feel spite about people in general because they see the actions of each other.  Even I get that way at times.  The thing I don’t understand is the entirety of the life of everyone around me or the lives of people that make the things around me possible.  I don’t know the struggles and successes.  All I can really do is sit back and consider it and be grateful and respectful despite not knowing details.  Most would not wish pain or suffering on another human being.  But to make my efforts and life possible others take on some.  My successes are built off other people’s efforts and anything that goes into their achievements.  Things I have and rely on should be something I am grateful for and respectful of people’s efforts and struggles.  The efforts and struggles that I will never fully know.