Guy Reams (00:03.662)
this is day 49, is gratitude a virtue? I'm stuck in a hotel room on Thanksgiving Day, so it kinda sucks. as I woke up this morning, I was thinking, most people on Thanksgiving talk a lot about gratitude. So I thought, is gratitude really a virtue? It feels like gratitude has been.
something recognized lately as important, but traditionally wasn't recognized as even something to ponder as a virtue or as important characteristics of being a good person, I guess you could say. So thought I'd think about that a little bit. I think gratitude does fit pretty well within the classic virtues. The Aristotle.
Aristotle virtue ethics So I think it does rep, but I think it's interesting because it represents the kind of the the the mean the middle part between Ingratitude which I guess is deficiency. So somebody who? lacks a lot like doesn't have very much and then those that are Except have excess
So people that are don't are aren't grateful at all and those people that are completely in debt so there's like this Middle ground between those two I guess people that are completely in debt Would be grateful to be relieved of that debt like I'm I owe a lot of money and then somebody forgives me or I've committed a great wrong and I get forgiven then I would be compelled to be grateful So I guess true gratitude
is somewhere in the middle. Somebody's been given everything in life. It has a hard time being grateful. And somebody who is totally lacking anything, those people would be forced to be grateful. So it's really kind of in between. That's where the virtue lies. So I think there are some significant, genuine benefits to gratitude that we should ponder.
Guy Reams (02:27.809)
Because I think it does contribute to individual and social success. Looking back, culturally, I've always been fond of the stoic philosophy or stoicism. And there's an appreciation. And the stoicism, the early philosophers like Marcus Rayleigh is taught that we should have appreciation for what we have.
rather than lamenting on what we lack.
But I don't think this is entirely a stoicism. That concept doesn't just exist there. You see it in Eastern religions like Buddhism where they actually teach a recognition of the interconnection between people and gifts that you receive from others. And so there's a recognition and understanding that those around you or those people around you
You should be grateful for what's provided to you. I think the Christian ethic is very much thankfulness is a part of a spiritual practice. I even the Lord's Prayer, Jesus is teaching to express gratitude first and foremost. So I think that's just interesting. And I imagine there's other religious backgrounds that teach similar concepts. think gratitude can be considered a virtue.
Because those that are grateful definitely have a recognition of their dependence on others. I would guess you would call that true humility. I think those that are grateful will acknowledge debts and contributions of others fairly and equally. Rather than taking all the credit for yourself, you would be very quick to...
Guy Reams (04:31.223)
focus on the contributions of others. Imagine that award speech where the person is receiving an award. What is their first reaction? Well, I think that people recognize your first reaction should be to thank those that contributed to you. Even though they may or may not mean it, we socially have accepted that that is important to do.
I think if you're grateful, you tend to have a sensitivity to other people's kindness. So you tend to have more compassion for others because you recognize how people have been kind to you. You also recognize how you can be kind to others. And then finally, I think that people that have more gratitude tend to be more generous in giving back and helping other people.
So in that mind and mindset, think gratitude is definitely a virtuous signal or a virtuous thing to have.
I think those that are grateful tend to be both the giver and the receiver. So they tend to get along more socially than others. I think people that are grateful, you tend to want to trust them more because you recognize they're not going to be completely selfish. Also, people that are grateful tend to build really good feedback loops between those that don't have and those that have.
So you'll find people that are grateful being part of social groups that benefit communities. And then finally, I think competition is good. And I've written on this many times. One of the core principles that I follow is to always recognize that ambition devours gratitude. If you're too ambitious, you'll never be grateful. And so I think that grateful people foster cooperation over competition.
Guy Reams (06:30.871)
You know, I'm not going to get into it, but I think I've researched in the past. There are psychological, there are research in psychology around having higher life satisfaction and happiness when you're more grateful. So this Thanksgiving is I'm sitting ungratefully in a hotel room for a basketball tournament and not doing our traditional Thanksgiving like we normally do.
I am Pondering how I can force I'd not force myself but how I can ponder my how I can consider What I should be grateful for rather than sitting here lamenting what I lack With that I better do