I have offered as a general rule that the more you give people, the less grateful they are. (There are certainly exceptions, but I find that I am not always one of them.)
The better life is for people, the more they question the goodness of God. That is the history of prosperity for nations, isn't it?
I think these twin streams come from adjusting to a New Normal. We start to believe that what we have been living in the last year is what normal is. If that takes a downward turn in any way, we believe we have been cheated somehow. Rich countries think prosperity is normal, and in the back of their minds, that it should sustain itself on their behalf.
It is probably good for all of us to have had a period of poverty in our lives. One or two obstacles in life make us more aware of how things can go wrong. It is true that this makes some people more selfish, and others more compassionate and generous, but that's what free will is. Multiplying obstacles is a different matter. Sometimes that is too much for any but the most exceptional individuals to overcome.
5 comments:
Life is GOOD, (and will stay that way. As Bill Cosby used to say, "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.)
I forget who said, "Ain't nothin' gonna turn out all right.) Ups and downs. Downer downs, with a mere scattering of upper ups.
Does tent camping help maintain gratitude?
James, it depends on whether you WANT to tent camp, how big your tent is, how far you have to carry it, and how ROTTEN the weather is.
1) There is no budget for hotels.
2) A tent is always 2" too short for the air mattress, though that matters less at 2 in the morning when the mattress deflates.
3) Not far, but the youngest need help setting theirs up.
4) There are only 3 tent seasons: 85/85 heat/humidity, cold monsoon, and frost on the inside.
5) There are always 4 mosquitoes left, no matter how many you kill.
Obviously you shouldn't trust the study until it has been replicated a time or three. The timing of this one was interesting, no, make that "suspicious:" https://www.studyfinds.org/joy-from-giving-lasts-longer-joy-from-getting/
Post a Comment