Week 9 post 2

Gratitude, or the feeling of reverence for things that are given, is proven to be in direct relation to personal wellbeing and happiness. As Robert Emmons said in 2003, gratitude stems from the perception of a positive personal outcome, not necessarily deserved or earned, that is due to the actions of another person. It can be measured with agreement/disagreement to the statements, "I have so much in life to be thankful for, I am grateful to a wide variety of people, as I get older I find myself better able to appreciate the people, the events, and situations that have been a part of my life history". However, there is a difference of just having short time gratitude and being a grateful person. Gratitude roots back to the era of Enlightenment, when  philosophers agreed that it was a cardinal moral emotion that promoted cooperative behavior between individuals. It also essential to Greek and Chinese philosophy. Gratitude has the power to heal, energize, and change lives. It also is proven greater happiness, some reasons being that it enhances frequency and magnitude of enjoyment of pleasant, positive emotional experiences in the present moment, amplifying the good. It also leads to greater, stronger, and healthier relationships and friendships. Some myths about gratitude include that its superficial, it leads to complacency, it makes one over-accomodating or self-effacing, it's not possible in the face of suffering, and many more. These should not prevent people from working on being more grateful because gratitude can work great wonders in people's life. One can cultivate gratitude through a gratitude letter or journal. These practices should be implemented in schools and workplaces to emphasize the importance of gratitude.

Gratitude relates to nature because when people are grateful for the earth and how beautiful it is, they are more willing to spend time outdoors. They are not as abusive to the earth nor do they litter as much. If people would spend more time outside, and focus on healthy mind practices such as gratitude journals, they would be so much happier and healthier. In addition, life becomes more meaningful when people are grateful because every action has a purpose and someone/something to thank for it. When things are not taken for granted, people live their lives to the fullest, appreciating their community and this world.