Gratitude and social justice (DW#643)
Continuing with our exploration of what gratitude does NOT mean, it is important to recognize that gratitude is not a license for passivity in the face of social injustice.
Being grateful for what is present does not mean that we do not recognize the inequalities and injustices that exist in the status quo and work towards change for a better world.
In other words, there is a difference between "be grateful for what you have" and "be content with what is." It is completely okay (in fact often necessary) to be rightly ticked off about some things while also giving what you do have its full measure of attention and appreciation.
Working for change or social justice sometimes means giving a lot of attention to things that are negative, painful or unjust. When we are giving those things the attention that they need, it can lead to burnout or ongoing distress. When we continue to balance the space in our brain with gratitude for things that are positive and good, we ensure that we have a balanced view of the world and that we are taking care of our own mental and emotional wellbeing at the same time.
In other words, feeling gratitude while working for social justice requires a nuanced and mature understanding of the concept. It means that we embrace the dualities and opposites that exist in our world today and hold space for both.
Rather than viewing the world as either good or bad, as people either nice or nasty, we embrace the ideas . . .
. . .that the world is full of goodness AND there are many injustices that need to be addressed.
. . . that people are generally good AND many people do things which harm others.
. . .that there is abundance of blessings in the world AND often those blessings are not equitably distributed.
. . . that we did not personally create these inequities AND we have a role to play in how they are perpetuated.
Maybe we can rework the Serenity prayer in this way:
God, grant me:
The inspiration to be grateful for the things that I enjoy,
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
The wisdom to know the difference,
And the emotional balance to hold space for it all.
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