Faith column: Discovering gratitude means we can help ourselves and others

A couple of months ago I read an article written by a 26-year-old graduate student trying to come up with a topic for a paper. Alyssa Ahlgren, an MBA candidate, was sitting in a coffee shop in Florida scrolling through a newsfeed on her phone.

After skimming headlines of political candidates’ demands for policies to fix the “injustices of capitalism,” she sat back and looked around her.

“I see people talking freely, working on their MacBooks, ordering food they get in an instant, seeing cars go by outside, and it dawned on me. We live in the most privileged time in the most prosperous nation and we’ve become completely blind to it.”

With a poverty line 31 times the world average, virtually no one in this country would be considered poor by world standards. Ahlgren cited a recent Newsweek article in which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the millennial generation, a significant portion of the electorate in America, as coming of age and never seeing American prosperity.

Describing the statement as “the most entitled and factually illiterate thing I’ve ever heard,” she asked why, with the overwhelming evidence surrounding us, even just what she could see sitting in a coffee shop, people do not view it as prosperity.

Her conclusion is that her generation lacks contrast. They did not live through the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam War, or see the rise and fall of communism.

“We don’t know what it’s like to live without the internet, without cars, without smartphones. We don’t have a lack of prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it’s spreading like a plague.”

I’ve thought quite a bit about Ahlgren’s article. To truly understand and appreciate things in life, we do need contrast. Without darkness, how could we truly appreciate light? Until the air conditioning goes out for several hours, we don’t give it a thought. We take things for granted.

In his book, “The Little Book of Gratitude,” Ed J. Pinegar told of a luncheon meeting at which Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was a guest speaker. Afterward, President Uchtdorf responded to questions from the audience. The last question was, “President Uchtdorf, what is it that we need to have in order ... to be able to handle the burdens, problems, and trials we have in this life.”

After a moment’s reflection, he responded, “Gratitude”.

After recounting this experience, Pinegar offered these insights on the importance of gratitude:

Gratitude for the simple things of life can help overcome “the obsession of possessions, fill the heart with joy, and infuses the mind with well-being. Gratitude destroys materialism.”

“Gratitude helps us give and receive love; it brings thanksgiving for all things and makes what matters most the most important. ...”

Gratitude leaves no room for a self-defeating attitude or for being pessimistic about life’s challenges. “Gratitude helps us not only endure unbearable situations but also gain appreciation from the experience. We can uplift and nourish others. ...”

Feelings of gratitude need not, and should not, be limited to the third Thursday in November. Being grateful cannot solve the world’s ills or even our own problems. But it can free us from the stress of always wanting more, help us appreciate how much we have, and allow us to uplift and help others.

Looking at what we have rather than what we don’t have, and what we can do rather that resenting what we can’t, gives us the power to change our perspective.