“[This book] is about liberation that begins with a sense of gratitude for the most ordinary and taken-for-granted realities.” (Leddy 5) Thus writes Mary Jo Leddy in the introduction to her book Radical Gratitude. Gratitude for ordinary things is the basis of much writing on spirituality, and the mark of a saint. But oh, how difficult it is to practice.
The Children of Israel were miraculously saved from their slavery in Egypt and had every reason to be grateful, but when things didn’t go well for them in the desert, they began to murmur and grumble and even longed for the “comfort” of their former slavery. How much we are like the Israelites. When our group sojourning in Mesoamerica arrived safely and on time after being nearly denied boarding because of a mix-up about our electronic tickets, we were all grateful, and openly expressed our gratitude. But now, a week later, are we still grateful? Wilkie Au reminds us in an article from the Presence journal that “To live spiritually and vital lives […] requires that we make gratitude a habitual attitude, not just remembering something we feel when tragedy has been averted” (Au 8-9).
When our students encountered atrocious conditions in the bathrooms where they were staying for an extended weekend they complained. One even grumbled, “How is it that I am paying EMU $30,000 a year to live in conditions like this?” The food was also murmur-worthy—basically a repeat of beans and tortillas in different configurations three times a day. Yet when the group met and related to the children studying and living in these conditions all the time, they became very grateful for even meager facilities. Many wrote in their journals that they would never take their life-styles for granted again. Yet it wasn’t long until murmuring and complaining hit the camp. For some reason human nature seems to thrive on grumbling, and when one in a group starts to moan about something, the negativity spreads like wildfire through the camp. The attitude of gratitude is shoved into the background of our consciousness.
Why is it so hard to be grateful and to extend gratefulness beyond being thankful for “tragedy being averted?” I think it is because of our sense of entitlement. Our culture of acquisitiveness and self-worth drawn from what we have, keeps us from ever being satisfied. Leddy claims that “… ingratitude is ingrained in our economic system and in the worldview that has shaped our imaginations for more than 200 years” (Leddy 4). Not only do we want more, but we feel entitled to have whatever we want. “… when we feel entitled to everything, we end up thankful for nothing” (Au 11). Feeling “entitled to everything” is what our culture would want us to feel. That is what drives us to want to acquire more.
Our group is exposed to extreme contrasts on our trip through Mesoamerica (Guatemala and Mexico). One weekend we stay in the meager conditions mentioned earlier, and another weekend we stay in a four-star hotel. It is difficult to know how to bridge these extremes, so one of the goals that Esther and I have in leading groups of students on such a journey is to have all of us learn how to move from entitlement to gratitude and to make gratitude the basis for our living. A life of gratitude helps us recognize our abundance and moves us to generosity, while a life of entitlement moves us to scarcity and hoarding. A life of gratitude allows us to “reach[ ] out to others in loving service” (Au 15), while a live of entitlement leads us to a life of resentfulness and selfishness.