Be a person with a heart.

Author: Ma Yinchun, Yuan Liping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Gratitude is the nourishment that moistens life, the "heart's eye" of happiness in life. If every one of us harbors a sense of gratitude, our society will become more harmonious and kind. We ourselves will also become happier and healthier due to the presence of this mindset. Let us read the following short story to experience the power of gratitude.
There were two people walking in the desert when they were desperately thirsty and encountered an old man leading a camel. The old man gave each of them half a bowl of water. One person took the half bowl of water and angrily accused the old man of being too stingy, so in his frustration, he poured the water away. The other person took the half bowl of water, fully aware that this little water could not quench their thirst, but he was filled with a heartfelt gratitude and drank the water with this gratitude in his heart. As a result, the former died in the desert for losing that half bowl of water, while the latter, having drunk it, finally made it out of the desert.
This story teaches us: People who maintain a sense of gratitude toward life have a calm mindset and are always in a joyful mood. Even when faced with great disasters, they can endure them. Those who often cherish gratitude can quickly overcome setbacks, whereas those who constantly complain about life are often unappreciative of their blessings. Even when they encounter good fortune, they do not recognize it as such and cannot find happiness in it.
So, how can we cultivate a grateful mindset?
(1) Understanding gratitude
In real life, there are many people who find fault with everything, complain endlessly, and always feel that others and society owe them something. They never appreciate what others and society have done for their lives. They are like earthworms living in the soil—they may even crawl out of the ground one day but still fail to feel the brightness of the sun because their bodies lack photoreceptor cells. A philosopher once said that the greatest tragedy and misfortune in the world is when someone boldly claims, "No one has ever given me anything."
We all understand the principle of the food chain in nature. Life as a whole is interdependent, and no organism can exist independently without relying on others. Whether it is the nurturing of our parents, the teachings of our teachers, the care of our partners, the services of others, or the gifts of nature,