Around a year ago, Jens had discovered that his battle against cancer had been won; when I spoke to him this summer, he said that his latest visit to the oncologist had shown him to be clear. I asked him whether he felt gratitude. "To whom? For what? Gratitude to the same God that had given me the cancer in the first place?"
A profound observation, but one rooted in the traditional notion of a deity that is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. A deity that has become easy to reject; a deity that is to a great extent the product of religion as a form of social control.
We live our lives on the edge of chaos; some of it is man-made, some natural in cause. "God" does not impose chaos upon us to "try us", nor is chaos "the work of the devil". Chaos just is - an integral part of an imperfect Universe that's on its infinitely long road toward perfection. The world is less chaotic than it was; as Thomas Hobbes put it back in 1651, one lived in "continuall feare, and danger of violent death: And the life of man [was] solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short." We live longer, more peaceful, richer, and far more connected lives than our forefathers did 370 years ago.
Is it up to us where and when we live, or mere chance? Does karma play a part in the misfortunes that befall us? Or do we retrospectively attach our misdeeds to misfortunes after they have happened?
The past has happened - you cannot unhappen it. But gratitude for that which has come right, for that which could have been a disaster but wasn't, is a mighty balm.
The future hasn't yet happened - can you influence it? Unless you have survived a life-threatening illness or accident, you live with 'Schrodinger's Health'. You are both healthy and nursing an as-yet undiagnosed condition until the moment the doctor opens the box to look.
Can a positive and grateful attitude to life influence outcomes? I believe it can. Don't set too much store by the demands of the ego; a comfortable life is within reach, eschew the temptations of trying to live a luxurious life. Attempts to do so lead to a spiral of materialism ("Shall I replace my two-year-old Mercedes C-Class Coupe with a Porsche or wait for the new C-Class Coupe?"); once in that spiral you are never satisfied with life. (That was sort-of-OK once, but given the extended carbon footprint that the luxury-loving community produce, this behaviour is now morally reprehensible.)
Meditating upon the theme of gratitude for what you have enjoyed - not materially, but in terms of moments of sublime conscious experiences - is a helpful strategy. I express my gratitude to the Universe as I brush my teeth twice or three times each day; if I realise that I didn't, brushing automatically, I start again, this time focusing on those grateful thoughts. It really helps.
This time five years ago:
Early winter travels: Warsaw-Kraków-Poznań-Warsaw
This time six years ago:
Patriotism and nationalism: what's the difference?
This time seven years ago:
Poland's progress in the international rankings
This time eight years ago:
The Transparency International Corruption Perception Index for 2013
Also this time nine years ago:
Poland's rapid advance up the education league table: PISA 2013
This time ten years ago:
Life expectancy across the EU: more comparisons
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