The growing metacrisis – the overlapping global problems – is putting us under mounting pressure. Looming over it all is global warming with its existential threat.
Yet it does serve a purpose. The good news is that all this trouble may be accelerating the Great Awakening. We can then transform and create a better world, one that is more unified and working together.
For a better world, it starts with each of us individually: how we relate to ourselves and others. To accomplish our earthly mission, one of the best tools we have easily available is gratitude.
It’s ironic that in this “fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into Ollie,” (to quote Laurel and Hardy), being appreciative is one of the best ways out of our predicament.
Gratitude is a wonderful elixir. It can change the mundane into something profound, lifting us out of the mud. For practical purposes, let’s use gratitude by considering our past, present and future.
Gratitude for the Past
Here’s something BIG that’s hiding in plain sight. There are 8 billion people on the world – and they pretty much all have been traumatized to one degree or another. Some of this disturbance has led to the widespread wicked problems and divisions we now face.
Take a moment to realize this: the very thing that had hurt you can turn into a source of healing and wisdom.
Viewing the big picture, you could say your soul signed up for this earthly assignment to address certain imbalances. These fractured energies were created in your past, or perhaps lifetimes ago, and sometimes evident in your family ancestry.
These wounds teach us things, in spite of the pain we experience. It can teach us compassion for ourselves and others. It can show us ways to love. It can inspire us to create and problem solve. And much more.
So those “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” as Shakespeare noted, can serve a higher purpose and foster positive post-traumatic growth.
On the other side of the ledger is all the help and goodwill you have received in life. Many people supported and nurtured you. That’s inspiring and life-giving to remember, too.
Gratitude for the Present
We can be grateful for overcoming past challenges. And we can take time to appreciate all that we have been given – from people and from nature.
We can help others too, by using our gifts and talents in intentional ways.
We can appreciate our planet – the earth, air, water and fire that heals and energizes us. To experience the elements, feel the ground beneath your feet… inhale some air… enjoy looking at or tasting water… look at the blue, sunny sky.
To foster gratitude, feel your feet on the ground and look at the sky. As ancient texts said, we are a child of the earth and starry heaven. We can use all the earthly elements along with the metaphysical ones (our connections with higher beings and realms).
Take a breath through your nose now and slowly exhale. Let it settle and relax you. Allow thanks in the quiet stillness of this connection …
Gratitude for the Future
As we fill our days with more gratitude, we become stronger and can direct our lives, in spite of the headwinds and crises we face individually and collectively.
By being grateful for doing the best we can, it creates an alchemy for a brighter future.
Gratitude is the “elixir,” defined by Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary as “a substance believed to be capable of changing base metals into gold… Today, it is often used generally for anything thought capable of remedying all ills or difficulties, be they physical or otherwise.”
Being appreciative of your life – your past, now in the present, and what may come in possible futures – has multiple benefits. You have a healthier mindset. You can realistically face problems and transform them into opportunities.
Gratitude will lift your spirits when you feel defeated by the metacrisis and divisions in the world. It helps you become more resilient and balanced.
Final Gratitude
Gratitude is about recognizing what we have now, rather than focusing on what we lack. Such focus and appreciation builds a solid foundation for your daily life and bright future.
Life is transient. We only have one lifetime this time, so it’s wise to make the most of it.
Gratitude is an extraordinary free way to change base elements (fear, division, separation) into gold (wonder, hope, and love). Breathe in some gratitude – it’s all around you now. Now breathe out that wonderful energy into the world …
