The German mystic Meister Eckhardt (1260-1328) once noted that “if the only prayer you make is ‘thank you,’ that will be sufficient.” Gratitude is the virtue of interdependence. It reminds us that we are not self-sufficient, and that our gifts and largesse and even our personal agency and achievement are, in good measure, dependent on the sacrifices and impact of those who came before us and the generosity of our current companions. Gratitude reminds us that there are no self-made persons. The physician needs patients. The pastor needs congregants. The teacher needs students. The politician needs a community. The merchant needs customers. Gratitude affirms the principle of ubuntu, I am because of you. We are because of one another.
This mid-October morning, I am grateful. I received my flu shot at 5:30 a.m., completing the cycle beginning with three COVID vaccines. I enjoyed walking in the neighborhood adjoining the pharmacy, followed by a cup of coffee at a local bistro and then a bag full of groceries. Before sunrise, I not only woke up but enjoyed the benefits of first world research, leisure, and largesse.
As I walked home, I meditated on how blessed I am, and how my blessings must go forth into the world. We are joined and I cannot fully experience the goodness of life if my neighbors here and abroad scramble just to stay alive. My blessings are no more deserved than others’ hardships. Gratitude leads to generosity. It also leads to advocacy.
My third COVID vaccination must not end with my wellbeing. My gratitude for American science must challenge me to advocate for global vaccination and for the USA to increase its contribution to less technologically advanced nations.
My morning coffee must inspire me to advocate for fair wages and benefits for all Americans, not just baristas, but for the “essential workers” who pick our fruit and vegetables, process and pack our food, and help bring it to market. It reminds me that undocumented “essential” workers deserve a path to citizenship. It challenges me to look at the origins of the coffee supply chain and find ways to ensure that those who pick and process our coffee beans receive fair compensation and that our country be a leader in human rights across the globe in addition to foreign policy measures that promote higher standards of living in less developed nations.
As I enjoy the cool Bethesda, Maryland, sunrise, breathing in fresh early morning air, I am called to work for a healthy environment. To encourage business and political leaders to look beyond short-term gain to secure the environmental wellbeing for generations to come. I need also to look at my own lifestyle and find ways to decrease my own carbon footprint and to “live simply so that others might simply live.”
Yes, gratitude leads to generosity and advocacy. The mystical sense of gratitude – the reality of interdependence - is the inspiration to challenge any economic or political practice that thwarts the quest for abundant life, any public policy that stands in the way of human wholeness.
So, in this harvest season, let us be grateful. Let our gratitude energize our hands, heart, and feet. Let our gratitude give voice to prayers and protests and to the dream of a world in which every family can waken to a day of beauty and bounty.
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Bruce Epperly is a pastor, professor, and author of over sixty books, including “Mystics in Action: Twelve Saints for Today,” “Walking with Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism,” and “Prophetic Healing: Howard Thurman’s Vision of Contemplative Activism.” He may be reached at drbruceepperly@gmail.com
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