First, let me be clear about my personal bias. I am a Greek Orthodox presbyter. This theological worldview informs and shapes every opinion and position. Next, because I am a flawed human and prone to the passions, my understanding of the timeless wisdom of Orthodox Christianity is necessarily provisional. The primary virtue then from my Orthodox faith is a life of repentance; not prideful or arrogant pronouncements.
Next, the Faith informs me that Life is a gift, creation is a gift, time is a gift, all of existence is a gift. This basic and fundamental truth is foundational to all of society, every relationship, and even political governance. All is gift.
Because of this fundamental and foundational truth, life is best and most complete when responded to with gratitude. It is the basic and fundamental response to all things, all people, all society, all moments. Gratitude is key to love. Where there is no gratitude, there can be no love. Gratitude increases humility. Gratitude creates the space for understanding. Gratitude allows for the healing of misunderstanding and even the dissolution of hatreds. If one learns gratitude, one can be fully human.
Today, our American nation witnesses the successful and peaceful transition of power from one government to another. The 45th president of the United States will take the oath of office in Washington D.C. and his government will take the reigns of power of the Federal government of the United States. This will occur even though the preceding presidential campaign was one of the most contentious in recent memory. But we must not pretend that this is either unusual or unprecedented. It is the poverty of our day that “chronological snobbery” insists “it’s never been this ‘bad/good’ before.” This is a delusion and an attempt to manipulate the citizens. Our weak, communal memory as a society feeds the prideful notion of fear/elation. This is true of political movements as well as any notion of “this is the most important issue of the day.” The intoxication of fear or elation are fantasies that enslave us to passions and delusion. We become less than human when we are captured by either.
Our society is polarized because we have forgotten gratitude. We see others as “enemies” because we have forgotten gratitude. We histrionically insist that doom/paradise is near all the while painting those who disagree as “blind” or even “evil.” We are wrong. We are able to fall into this delusion because we have lost the ability to be grateful.
And yet, today, as has happened since the beginning of the founding of the nation, power will transfer peacefully. Nations all over the world will look and see this and wonder at this event. With all the rhetoric of political campaigns painting the bleakest picture imaginable if “the other side” wins, we will still see President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama standing with President-elect Donald Trump and Mrs. Trump together at the White House and together they will go to the Capital for our civic celebration of the Inauguration.
Protesters will protest. Supporters will cheer. And we will begin again the messy and cantankerous process of Federal governance. And the gratitude in all of this is that it will feel so familiar. One side will swear this is the path to make America great again, while the other side will insist that we are on the precipice of widespread disaster. And both will be wrong and right. As usual.
Winston Churchill famously said “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” And this messy way of governance invites us to a humility and maturity that isn’t possible without conflict and disagreement, so even the conflict invites gratitude if one is mature enough to see it. But maturity won’t come without gratitude as well.
Gratitude flows from the ability to see all you have and all you are as a gift. This means you insist that Life be protected. This means you insist that persons are more valuable than things. This means you value fidelity to the Giver of life above even your own comfort, because when we lose the ability to be grateful to the Giver of Life, we descend into the hell of “every man doing what is right in his own eyes.”
Ultimately the opposite of Gratitude is not ingratitude, but chaos. If we are to be human in the truest sense of this word, it will be as we tenaciously insist that we live life grateful. As a dear friend of mine writes often “Glory to God for all things.”
Today, I am grateful to God for Life. I am grateful for this nation. I am grateful even for my “enemies” because my “enemies” tell me things about myself that my friends never will. I choose, out of my freedom, to live a Eucharistic life of gratitude. Because I have been given, endowed, with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” I refuse to arrogantly believe I can live this life of gratitude by myself or in dismissing others as “unimportant.” I choose gratitude over fear. I choose gratitude over certainty. I choose gratitude over hate. I choose gratitude because I am not the author of my life, but I have been blessed with a life meant to get to know Him Who gave me this gift. I choose gratitude so that I will be a person, and not a shadow. I am grateful.
BARNABAS POWELL·FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
Submitted by Lazarus