Is being grateful a good way to spend your day? (part II)

So, you’ve probably read my previous post here, but you are not yet convinced? You are not sure what is this gratefulness thing all about?

Waste no other second and watch the following TED talk with Brother David Steindl-Rast!

A grateful world is a world of joyful people. Grateful people are joyful people, and joyful people — the more and more joyful people there are, the more and more we’ll have a joyful world. We have a network for grateful living, and it has mushroomed. We couldn’t understand why it mushroomed. We have an opportunity for people to light a candle when they are grateful for something. And there have been 15 million candles lit in one decade. People are becoming aware that a grateful world is a happy world, and we all have the opportunity by the simple stop, look, go, to transform the world, to make it a happy place. And that is what I hope for us, and if this has contributed a little to making you want to do the same, stop, look, go.

In my research over the life and work of Brother David Steindl-Rast I stumbled upon the clear distinction that he makes between thankfulness and gratefulness:

“In a moment of gratefulness, you do not discriminate. You fully accept the whole of this given universe, as you are fully one with the whole (…) In the very next moment, when the fullness of gratitude overflows into thanksgiving, the oneness you were experiencing is breaking up. Now you are beginning to think in terms of giver, gift and receiver. Gratefulness turns into thankfulness. This is a different fullness. A moment ago you were fully aware; now you are thoughtful. Gratefulness is full awareness; thankfulness is thoughtfulness.