What matters? Oliver Sacks...

[equus]

Who cared if there was really any Being to pray to? What mattered was the sense of giving thanks and praise, the feeling of a humble and grateful heart.

Oliver Sacks.

'the sense of giving thanks and praise,the feeling of a humble and grateful heart'
Indulge me believers and non believers alike - How can we be greatful, beyond or aside from faith?

I am grateful to all those with courage to write down their ideas - the pleasure of reading them is huge, the pleasure of debate stimulates my heart and mind.

I'm grateful to all the past people who built language, each one playing some role to offer me an ever expanding bridge between my innermost self and the rest of the world.

I'm grateful to the scientists for hours and hours of often quite lowly paid study, without them my birth would have cost me my life, and so many countless others. Without them we'd perhaps still think the world was flat and maybe never have learned even our best and most popular ideas can be simply wrong.

I'm grateful for every act of kindness that slowly brings the world around, for all the individuals who take a moment of time to smile because without them I would have been born into a cold and miserable place.

I look at time and how far it spans, I look at the poulation of the world, the enormous number of people that spend their lives helping - and that multiplied through all time - YEP, gratitude and the cosy nice humility (not the self accusing one) definately go together.

Then sometimes I forget all of that and it winds up with me getting my knickers in a twist!!

I'm working on remembering more often!

[Ann]

Originally Posted by equus

'the sense of giving thanks and praise,the feeling of a humble and grateful heart'
Indulge me believers and non believers alike - How can we be greatful, beyond or aside from faith?

I think we can be grateful by giving back, sharing what we have, and using our gifts wisely.

The great concert pianist can be grateful by creating beautiful music for all of us to hear and playing for those who cannot afford admission.

When life has been bountiful, we can be grateful by sharing with those who are needy.

When someone has done us a special kindness, we can be grateful by passing that kindness on to someone who is reaching out.

We come into this world with nothing and leave with the same. Everything we acquire while we are here is simply on loan to be shared among all of us with gratitude.

With or without faith, it is a heart that feels blessed that shares light with those who struggle in the darkness.

Thank you, Equus, for reminding me how grateful I am for the many gifts life has given me. It's a good way to begin my day.

Hugs
Ann

[indigo]

Thank You Both.

[equus]

I've decided Oliver Sacks will be my next detour!! I've a bloody big hunch he's got stuff to teach me and my hunch is growing the more I read about him.