A year of Sundays: 47th Sunday 11/23/25

The Practice of Profound Thankfulness

In the current state of our country, climate, world, and universe, finding things that we have to be thankful for are immense and ever evolving. Oh, we are so blessed to be alive and organic. This week, I have been reflecting on the true meaning of thankfulness, not just as a fleeting emotion, but as a deliberate practice, a philosophical stance against apathy. My thoughts are guided by some of the greatest minds who studied human flourishing and the power of the positive mindset.

The Choice of Attitude

When confronted with the immense challenges of our time, the most powerful freedom we possess is the internal one. It is a fundamental choice of how we perceive our circumstances. The psychiatrist and philosopher Viktor Frankl (2006) articulated this perfectly when he wrote that “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (p. 66). This profound realization is the bedrock of gratitude. Similarly, Norman Vincent Peale (1952) popularized the simple truth: “Change your thoughts and you change your world” (p. 83). Thankfulness is not a response to perfection; it is a choice to focus on what is good, transforming our perception and, thus, our experience.

The Power of the Present

The act of being thankful forces us out of past regrets and future anxieties, anchoring us firmly in the present moment, which is the only place true life exists. Martin Seligman (2002), the founder of positive psychology, notes that “Gratitude is the single most important factor in a person's level of life satisfaction” (p. 78). It is a way of acknowledging the intrinsic value of our current reality. Furthermore, humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers (1961) taught that self-acceptance is the catalyst for growth: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change” (p. 17). Thankfulness for our current condition, including our flaws and challenges, is the acceptance required to move forward.

The Mandate for Action

Our unique ability to be alive and organic carries with it a responsibility to strive, to appreciate the very essence of human effort. The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990) reminds us that “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times... The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (p. 3). We have a wealth of potential to be thankful for. This potential demands action, which is why Angela Duckworth (2016) found that passion and perseverance are essential to great achievement; “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare” (p. 235). By practicing gratitude for our inner strength, we cultivate the grit necessary to meet the world’s challenges head-on. As Plato (~380 BCE/2007) suggested, true thankfulness is a virtue, a conscious choice of wisdom over counting our woes.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper Perennial.

Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.

Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's search for meaning. Beacon Press. (Original work published 1946)

Peale, N. V. (1952). The power of positive thinking. Prentice-Hall.

Plato. (2007). The republic (D. Lee, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published ~380 BCE)

Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist's view of psychotherapy. Houghton Mifflin.

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Free Press.