Posted on 12/24/2015 9:38:52 AM PST by Kaslin
The Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero insisted that gratitude was "the parent of all the other virtues."
Cicero did not define gratitude as Mafia-like loyalty or mutual back-scratching. He was not referring to a pop socialism where all supposedly owe their successes to the government.
Instead, gratitude is proof of humility and offers perspective. It is an appreciation for others, often now dead, who have helped to make us what we are. Without it, we are narcissists and self-absorbed amnesiacs.
Unfortunately, our modern "me" generation has forgotten gratitude and replaced it with the art of victimization. Contemporary Americans prefer blaming others -- parents, ancestors, their country, the world in general -- for their own unhappiness while patting themselves on the back for anything that goes well.
Nowhere is the death of gratitude more acute than at our elite universities.
Today's students hunt for micro-aggressions, slights that register only on their hypersensitive Richter scales of victimization. They pout over mean Halloween costumes, inauthentic ethnic food or politically incorrect literature assignments. They are angry even at mute statues and century-old names chiseled on the arches of their ivy-covered halls.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
I presume “gratitude” comes from the same root as “grace.” In that I am reminded of the distinction between mercy and grace.
“Mercy” is when you DON’T get a consequence you DO deserve, whereas “grace” is when you DO get a consequence you DON’T deserve.
It is indeed a realization of the action of grace that brings one to humility.
Merry Christmas to all, this blessed season.
James Madison is remembered, if at all, by students today as a slave owner and that, in their minds, negates all the good his brilliant mind produced. Above anyone else, he is responsible for our constitution and bill of rights. We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. I wonder how many twenty and thirty year olds have ever even heard his name? I’d guess less than twenty percent of the products of public, government schools and perhaps thirty percent of their highly educated teachers.
Thanks and Merry Christmas to you and yours
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Bingo!
Snip:
“Obama’s so-called apology tour, his Cairo speech and his dismissals of American exceptionalism suggest that the president is not quite sure why America is the richest, freest and most powerful nation in the world — although he certainly takes for granted its preeminent position and the perks and influence that go along with it as president.”
He not only takes it for granted, but has admittedly set out to “fundamentally change” our culture and our nation, by doing everything possible to mock, remove, and destroy a mindset of gratitude, by promoting a mindset of ENTITLEMENT.
Aristotle is forgotten because he just mentions men. In our feminist world, that is unforgivable.
” Contemporary Americans prefer blaming others...for their own unhappiness while patting themselves on the back for anything that goes well. “
Congrats, VDH, you’ve cracked the Participation Trophy enigma, and its concomitant Self-Esteem legacy. These are one step removed from the much older practice of praising God for a good outcome while blaming the devil if things don’t work out.
bfl
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