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A refined soul is distressed to know that someone owes it thanks; a crude soul, to know that it owes someone thanks.
– Friedrich Nietzsche
This post is a continuation of the post Gratitude – The Ability to Accept
Most of us enjoy giving (at least that which we do not really mind parting with) more than we enjoy taking – the former grants us a sense of our own worth. But rarely do we do it with gratitude. We do not understand how important it is to be able to give with gratitude. Gratitude simply for the fact that your gift is being accepted.
It is not easy for us to understand and realize this, because society generally opposes this concept. Should the one who is giving be thankful – when they are already giving? It is usually believed that only the receiving party should convey gratitude. However, do not those who think so overlook half of the essence of the gifting process? In the Bhagavad Gita, a gift made without gratitude and respect for the one to whom it is given is considered tamasic (Tamas means ignorance; tamasic deeds are such that lead a person down the ladder of self-development). From this point of view, it is better not to give anything at all than to give without a feeling of gratitude, or even with a sense of superiority.
Even when we give something completely material, our attitude and the feelings invested in the gift are always sensed – by those who accept our gift, and, even more importantly, by ourselves. In the way we give, we manifest ourselves. We show the world who we are and what we stand for.
Sincere gratitude is what makes the process of exchange equal, no matter which side of the gift-giving process we are on. To give gratefully to the one who accepts and to accept with gratitude from the one who gives is what makes any gift more than just a gift.
