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The Tyranny of Gratitude
Why You Don’t have to Be Grateful for Everything
Even if you’ve only scratched the surface of the mindfulness movement you will have been bombarded with exhortations to be grateful, express gratitude, live in a state of gratitude, etc.
Gratitude is the cornerstone of manifestation, your direct link to the divine source, the fast-track ticket to everything you could ever want in life, the gatekeeper to enduring happiness. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich says that gratitude is the necessary ingredient for material abundance, a sentiment echoed by countless other authors who proclaim the transformative nature of a grateful state of being.
From the Dalai Lama to Oprah Winfrey, everyone has something to say about why you should live in gratitude.
With this relentless bombardment of sanctimonious entreaties, we run the risk of turning gratitude into a chore, another item on our to-do list, a thing we “should” always be oriented toward, or else. Or else you’ll be unhappy, the statements imply. You won’t get rich. You won’t get everything you want in life. You’re be miserable and no one will like you. Gratitude or bust.
About a year ago I was emerging, shell-shocked, from a relationship I thought would endure for my entire life. I had also quit my job to start my own business, and oh yeah was…
