Ingratitude

Thank you mom for following my initial requests posted on day 1 ...suggesting topics. My dear readers, I await the rest.
In my mother's comments from yesterday's blog she challenged the following:

How would you describe ingratitude in 2009 ? can you ? Shakespeare wrote a whole play. NO comparison ! but let's see an opinion in 2009.

So I can't reference King Lear, or compare....This is new and direct.
I am grateful...alert and aware of my fortunate life so far ( most of the time) The other times I am still aware, just clouded.
As a human nature tendency, negative thoughts seep in and out of my mind. It takes the ability to recognize and react to notice these thoughts as toxic and a breakdown in the happy butterflies that travel through me. Simply to say one is grateful is like complimenting an obviously hideous outfit. Fake, and useless to the improvement of future dress rehearsals. In the end, you loose. I loose. As some of my previous entries mentioned, postive thoughts dictate daily turnover of events, happy memories and fond references. Those same thoughts keep me current and in turn ready to receive, appreciate, thank and live by.

By definition ingratitude is the lack of gratitude. Simple enough right? Therefore, the opposite or positive of ingratitude would be gratitude. Still, pretty simple.

Ingratitude in 2009, how long do I have?
The kind gestures of our parents, a generous friend, a thoughful neighbour. Appreciation and thank you's are thrown around as freely as grass seed. Less means more.

We are always preaching ( myself included) in how grateful we are for our health, our family and friends, sanity...( read last Friday's blog for my tentative list ) BUT are we actually, truly living each day in awe of what greatness surrounds us. Do we mean it to ourselves when we are diagnosing ourselves as humble.
I would like to believe and honestly say Yes, but the truth is that on a daily basis the struggle shows it's ugly face.

When doing a kind deed for another person we are enlightened by the joy of the goodness. All good gestures start off with the innocent ideal of " doing good" Without doing a factual test, based on statistics and crunching numbers and those other things (math and I don't love one another) my guess would be that 50% of all selfless acts become acts with a teeny weeny selfish intent. Sometimes a little more on the upper teeny weeny. And why should they not be...through media, social dynamics and daily interactions the idea of being grateful for real, tangible blessings is long gone. We are taught to always look out for ourselves ( good) , do what is in our best interest ( also good), put ourselves first ( good ) and my favourite, in the end we as in I, myself, matter most.
All great ways to approach life, but what about the other guy? Without helping thy neighbour ingratitude has won. The beauty of lending a hand is what is felt, the bond between two people that have share a moment of good faith.

A true cleanse of the soul and a good night's sleep can only be achieved by the purity of the mind, heart and soul.

Oh come on, I gossip, engage in the weekly caddiness and have told my share of white lie's but
I re-group and focus with every sip of water I take. I can say with my hand on my heart that I do not fall into the category of " those people". I am in constant gratitude for you and everything else.
Instead of ingratitude as the focus for this piece I have re-read and paused throughout every paragraph and realize that I have chosen a different objective. I have taken the approach to point out the struggle for the positive in my every day, my respect for the mind and in hopes that through such points and honest observations we can all take a moment and pause, breathe in and say thank you. Mean it and start the day over.

Mom, in summary my point is this:
In 2009, 1999, 1979 and long ago it is within the individal to become what they want to become.
I truly believe that we are helped along the way by faces we meet. We are shaped and our hearts and minds touched with both good and bad. Both experiences leave us to appreciate our ultimate outcome. Without either side, the forces of balance, cannot do their job, one cannot sit back, look past through the file of years lived and smile in gratitude.