“Give thanks for (the as-yet) unknown blessings (that
are) already on their way.” – Native
American saying of unknown origin.
Long before the
establishment of organized religions, ancient people believed that mysterious,
natural spirits controlled the world in which they lived. If food was abundant
and the weather was good, it was because these spirits – the “gods” – made it
happen. When the game disappeared, the weather got bad, and the land failed to
yield crops, it was also because of the gods.
But ancient people
did not consider their gods to be totally capricious; there was always a reason
why life conditions were good or challenging. The reason, the people deduced,
was about them: either the gods were pleased with them or they were not. If
they pleased the gods, sang their praises and gave something back to them, the
gods would continue to bless them with good living conditions.
So they created
chants and songs, they communicated with the gods through prayer and
meditation, and they sought wisdom and visions from the gods. Also, they
revered special individuals in the clan, shamans, who seemed to have unique
abilities to communicate with the gods and interpret their signs.
Pleasing the Gods
A critical part of
pleasing the gods was to make sacrifices to them, to give something back to the
gods to show their appreciation for what they had received. The sacrifices
could be a portion of the crops they had produced or the animals the gods had
sent them to kill for food and clothes.
In extreme
circumstances, humans were given as sacrifices to the gods, either members of the
clan or enemies captured from other groups. These were probably more about a
desperate feeling that they needed to make payments to angry and demanding gods
than showing appreciation for blessings.
But occasional human
sacrifices and payments to angry gods aside, the main point was that people
recognized that a power greater than themselves was at work in their world and
that the people themselves had an ability to work with this power to manifest
their needs and desires. Part of working with this power was to ask for good
tidings, blessings, and have faith that the higher power would manifest them. An
even more important part was to show gratitude for what already had been
provided; why should the gods continue to favor the people if they didn’t
appreciate the favors?
But many people also
recognized that it wasn’t enough to give thanks for what they had already
received. They had to demonstrate equal gratitude for what they had not yet
received. Giving thanks for what was yet to come was a show of faith in the
higher power, a positive belief that by working in harmony with that power they
could manifest their desires. Their needs and desires could be realized only by
living their lives with an “attitude of gratitude.”
This understanding
has continued into modern times, although there have been times when many have
abandoned it.
The First Thanksgiving
This belief that
success depended on showing gratitude to a higher power is what motivated the
settlers in Plymouth Colony to hold a three-day celebration in 1621. They had
endured more than a year of hardship in which more than half of their original
company died. They almost didn’t survive their first winter on the cold coast
of Massachusetts.
But with the help of
local natives who saw a political advantage in helping the English newcomers (although
their ancestors certainly have good reasons to regret the decision), they were
able to survive that first brutal winter and successfully plant crops that would
ensure their continued survival. After bringing in a good harvest in the autumn
of 1621, they felt that they needed to thank God for their good fortune. And to
show thanks to their Wampanoag friends, who had essentially saved their lives,
they invited them to join the celebration.
But even this
celebration was about more than just showing thanks for what they had received:
it was about showing their faith that their God would continue to provide for
them in the future. In their own way, they were also showing their “attitude of
gratitude” in order to manifest success in the future.
The Power of Intention
I have long been a
believer in the Power of Intention,
the idea that if you focus strongly on your desire – your intention – the creative power of the universe will move to help
you achieve it. This is described in the popular video, “The Secret.” Those who believe in the Power of Intention also
believe that in order to be successful, a person must have a genuine “attitude
of gratitude.” They believe you should give thanks every day, not just once per
year.
Now let me say here
that, although “The Secret” is
inspiring and, on the whole, a statement of truth, I do find the video to be
simplistic and a bit too focused on gaining material wealth. But for me, there
is no question that the Power of Intention, harnessing positive thinking to
manifest your desires, works.
I have seen it in
action, both in a positive and negative sense. Clearly, when a person focuses
on the negative things in his or her life, that person only attracts more of
the same negative crap. What you focus on most strongly, you attract into your
life in greater measure. The universe sees these negative things as what you
must want because you keep thinking and talking about them. As a result, more
of these things are brought your way.
The opposite is
absolutely true as well. When you focus positively on your desires, and do it
with so much belief in your success that you are able to be thankful for it as
though it had already come true, you will manifest it. Of course, this does not
mean that the universe will magically make it appear for you without any effort
on your part – you still have to do your own work toward the goal. But your
attitude of gratitude can and will cause the universe (God, if you prefer) to
move in your direction, to meet you halfway, so to speak.
Perhaps this is the
main point or lesson that we should take from our Thanksgiving celebrations.
Doing Better
I do believe in the
Power of Intention and positive thinking in general. But sadly, I have to admit
that I have not been so good about really embracing it in my life and making it
work for me. Too often, I allow negative thoughts and feelings to creep in and
take control. I have my demons.
Perhaps age has
something to do with this. When you get older, time seems to grow shorter, and
your options and opportunities seem to become more limited, it can be harder to
look at the world with the same kind of positive wonder as when you’re in your
20s. Harder, but not impossible; it’s just an attitudinal thing, and I know
this.
So, I have to do
better.
When I first made
the big leap to leave my comfortable job and life in Colorado and come to
Ukraine, I said that I wanted to teach English and write. Since I’ve been here,
I have been teaching English and writing. Desire manifested!
I need to write a
lot more, perhaps finally get a book project off the ground. And although money
and wealth are not priorities for me in the sense of being greedy, having more
and more, etc., I would like to earn more and be able to comfortably return to
a life in the mountains somewhere, or perhaps near the sea. That would be a
nice way to close out the circle. Desires yet to be manifested.
There are desires I
have had that have not been manifested, at least not as I had hoped, but
perhaps my own thinking is more to blame for that than anything else. Desires to
be subjected to better thinking patterns and (hopefully) manifested.
My Thanksgiving
More than three years ago, October 2012, I wrote a post about how I realized that I was a lucky guy. It was true then, and it’s true now. I have a lot to be thankful for. I am still alive, which is a good start. I like the work I am doing. I have had the chance to travel and have the kinds of experiences that many people never have. And most of all, I have some truly wonderful people in my life.
I have to get back to the kind of thinking that regularly focuses on gratitude for how cool my life has been. But I have to take it a step further.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in the USSA. Tomorrow I will host my annual Thanksgiving dinner for a few friends here in Kharkiv. I will be thankful for my life, for where it has taken me, for what I’ve had the opportunity to do and experience. I will be especially thankful for the people in my life, both here in Kharkiv and elsewhere, and particularly for those who will be with me tomorrow.
And I will be thankful for what is yet to come. I will work harder to keep my “attitude of gratitude” genuine and to hold on to it, even when things seem a little dark. I won’t always succeed, at least not at first. But I will do my best. The rest is up to the universe.
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