Gratitude Beyond Belief

A thought for you to ponder: If an entity that we call God is responsible for existence, it would only be common politeness to express our gratitude. But if nothing whatever is responsible for us being here, then isn’t our existence even more astounding, and doesn’t this give rise to an even greater call to us to be grateful?

Music: release-your-mind-relaxing-med

Transcript

Dear friends,

Some thoughts have been going through my mind on the subject of gratitude and I'd like to share these ruminations with you in this meditation.

Let's begin by bringing yourself to a place of rest.

You might be sitting casually on a chair just now or you might have organised a meditation cushion and you might even be trying out meditation for the first time.

Wherever you are and however you are seated,

I hope you'll settle into a comfortable position and allow yourself these few minutes of relaxation and reflection.

For the next 60 seconds,

Allow yourself to simply be,

Leaving aside all worries and concerns for now and giving yourself an opportunity to come to a place of peace and calm.

Sometimes when the idea of gratitude is mentioned,

People want to know to whom or to what are we to be thankful.

For those who believe in God,

In the everyday sense of that much used word,

Gratitude is an expression of thanks to a supreme being who has created or who is the underlying basis of the reality in which we exist.

But God is a very small word for a very big idea.

It's comical to think of us,

Finite beings,

No more than tiny ants really,

On a very small planet,

Circling a very ordinary star,

One of billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy,

Itself only one of billions of galaxies in the known universe.

And yet,

Tiny as we are,

We are hugely significant,

Because we have the capacity to reflect and ponder on the biggest questions and even explore mind-boggling ideas such as eternity and infinity.

At the very least,

Our existence can be described as the universe becoming aware of itself.

Or as Alan Watts famously put it,

We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory,

Of its magnificence.

There are people who,

True to their conscience,

Cannot accept the idea of God in any sense of the word.

And so a reasonable question is,

Why should non-believers feel a sense of gratitude if there is no being or entity to whom the thankfulness is to be expressed?

Let's have another one minute pause now.

This time so that you can consider how you feel about gratitude,

And why we should have any intonation or any need to feel a sense of thankfulness for our being here.

Welcome back again.

I'll be looking forward to reading your comments after you've listened to this meditation.

And I'm sure what you have to say will provide food for thought for everyone who might follow this discussion.

While these ideas were circulating in my mind,

A thought which I hope you'll find interesting came to me,

And it is this.

If this extraordinary universe in which we find ourselves and our own existence is nothing more than the mindless coming together of the atoms and the subatomic particles that make up the world,

Isn't there even a greater reason for us to be grateful for the fact that we are here,

And able to debate and contemplate these things?

If an entity which we call by the name God is responsible,

It would only be common politeness to express our gratitude.

But if nothing whatsoever is responsible for us being here,

Then isn't our existence even more astounding?

And doesn't this give rise to an even greater call to us to fall to our knees,

If not in prayer,

Then at least in awe and wonder and gratitude?

Gratitude even though,

If we are of a non-theist frame of mind,

We have no one or no thing to whom the thankfulness can be expressed.

It seems therefore that irrespective of our beliefs,

Our doubts or even our non-beliefs,

It is impossible for us to weave a mindful way through this existence,

Without being filled with a sense of awe and wonder and heartfelt thanks.

The odds against any of us being here,

Or anything at all being here,

Are so immense,

So incalculable,

That all we can do when we take time to pause and reflect on these things as we should,

Is to say thank you.

And thank you again and again and again.

Reviews

Huge topic. I don't believe in a God and I am not sure of a higher power. But I am grateful every day to be part of this perfectly imperfect world. The older I get the more I am filled with awe and love and wonder. 💕 I am.so happy to be part of it all for a little while.

Thank you Tony! I appreciate your wisdom. Yours, Mary (on the other side of the pond)

Tony, this is an incredible meditation. I often stare with wonder at God’s creation…from stunning natural beauty of landscapes, animals, tiny fingernails and toes or a newborn baby, gray hair as it creeps into my being…God is everywhere! Thank you for sharing this!!

This was a great reminder to be truly grateful for all the many blessings I enjoy. Thank you for your gentle reminder and beautiful words

Well now, God can be a bit of a sticky wicket for me. I often vassilate between acceptance and investigation. I mostly choose to no longer ask the questions but rather believe that there are truly Greater Powers in the Universe that I probably am incapable of understanding. Is that God? Maybe so. But Gratitude is something I experience daily in all the complex and simple ways. I’m grateful for love of others, my morning meditation and tea, for the sunshine and a warm breeze. I don’t think How things come into my life is a necessity in being grateful for them. Will I appreciate love more knowing or believing the How when love has arrived at my door? Is it enough for me to accept and appreciate my dear partner? Yes, for that is love in gratitude or gratitude in love.

GRMA 🙏🏼 Tony and my gratitude to you for this thought provoking reading.
It occurred to me when you mentioned all the galaxies that maybe when we die our Spirit and Soul go to another Galaxy and begin another life.
I cannot consider a God , the brain washing I received as a child was of a god as a male authoritative figure ready to punish and strike one down.
I am open to other ways that the Universe was created and my Supreme Power would be Nature herself. Powerful and unstoppable.
My gratitude is to my parents for conceiving of me and to this beautiful planet 🪐 Earth that gives me a home.
We have much to be grateful for from Nature and the good people around us.
🌿🙏🏼🌿

Tony, so thoughtfully examined and beautifully expressed! We are here—the world is amazing—what else could we need to feel inspired to be thankful every moment of our lives?
Thank you, Tony for this meditation!
Donna

A nice reminder in difficult times-I always look forward to your reflections Tony—thank you!

I love these short lessons of thought and reflection. Thank you 😊 🙏

Although a divine power is part of my life, I believe that gratitude for gratitude’s sake is a wonderful way to start each day. Thank you for your thoughts and guidance.

Wonderful discussion initiation Tony! May it bring relief 😮‍💨 to those struggling with this question

Thank you ! If. I don’t believe in a Hod then that makes us it! Scary! I would rather believe there is a God and find out there isn’t when the time comes ! Rather than not believing and find out there is! After all believing doesn’t hurt anything and it enriches my life ! I am also never alone this way! Thank you ! Blessings 🙏🙏🙏

Thought provoking words. I sometimes encounter nonbelievers and observe their struggles throughout their lives. Those observations reinforce my belief there is Divine intervention in the smallest of miracles in day to day life. I appreciate the reflection on gratefulness outside of belief. This will help me with some souls I encounter. Thank you 🙏 Namaste

Dear Tony
Thank you for these reflections on gratitude. I did think about who I express gratitude to? It feels like gratitude, like love and peace goes deeper and deeper until it becomes a way of being in this world. Does gratitude then also become a part of our unique light we shine into this beautiful universe we are part of? 🙏🏻💫

Always a pleasure sitting with you. Grateful always for each moment. Thanks for sharing this beautiful practice with us. Namaste

I often don't express as much gratitude as I should to God for all He has done for me and all creation. Denying that a Supreme being is responsible for our many blessings is an act of extreme vanity, to feel like we're to take credit for all we are and all we have. I'm grateful to receive reminders that I need to acknowledge my gratitude for my life and all that is in my life.

From a sunlight-, blossom- and birdsong-filled garden, thank you, thank you, thank you Tony. Those words are indeed the greatest prayer. With metta, Jane 🌺💞 🦅

This was beautiful. I believe that if I am / and show gratefulness each day that my life seams to be more fulfilling and happier. And if I show others my gratitude it spreads and they are as well. Our world needs more people who can express gratitude, kindness, and compassion. I look back to a time long ago where neighbors helped each other and strangers with kindness and were grateful to do so. But nowadays it seems so easy and yet difficult at the same time for the average person.
Thank you Tony for your work. I am so grateful. 🙏🏻💕

By offering our gratitude/thankfulness I feel we affirm its Glory and Magnificance!!!

I completely agree with you that no matter what we believe, our lives are improved when we view the world through the lens of awe and gratitude for the miracle that we are here. Thank you, Tony 🙏🏼💝🌟