“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” When I came across this quote by G.K. Chesterton, the connection to IEW’s theme of the year was clear. G.K. Chesterton is one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the twentieth century—he wrote nearly one hundred books and contributed to two hundred more. He authored hundreds of poems, five plays, five novels, and two hundred short stories, including the beloved Father Brown mysteries. In total, he wrote over four thousand essays, which works out to one essay a day for nearly eleven years. Gratitude formed the foundation of much of his life; he claimed that his aim was to be known for “the idea of taking things with gratitude, and not taking things for granted.” If gratitude is truly the highest form of thought, cultivating gratitude through asking questions along with building a vocabulary of gratitude will foster thinking skills.
Why is giving thanks the highest form of thought? Gratitude forces you to look beyond the immediate and obvious problems. It pushes you out of yourself and acknowledges that so much of life is a gift. Additionally, being grateful is harder than complaining. Problems are easy to see. Difficulties are everywhere. “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses” (Alphonse Karr). Being grateful forces you to not take the good things, even small, seemingly insignificant things, for granted. Chesterton elaborated on this idea. “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” Giving thanks is the highest form of thought because it requires thinking about the small things and the big things and then asking to whom we should be grateful for them.
Since asking questions builds thinking skills, what questions will help us cultivate gratitude? Start with the six honest serving men: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Build a repertoire of questions to begin establishing a habit of gratitude.
Who am I thankful for?
Who can I say thank you to today?
Who has been a blessing in my life recently?
Who has been a blessing to my life in the past?
What am I thankful for?
What good can I be thankful for in the midst of a hard situation?
What ordinary things can I be thankful for?
In Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, Eben McAllister’s father challenges him to find wonders in their own little town before Eben can visit a big city. Over the span of a week, he discovers “[s]ometimes extraordinary things begin in ordinary places.” Chesterton gives us another question about gratitude: “When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?” Being intentional about being grateful begins with asking questions.
Thinking with gratitude and expressing thanks requires a vocabulary of gratitude. Life can be full of hard situations. Even our language shows this. If you look up problem in the thesaurus, synonyms abound. However, what is the opposite of a problem or a difficult situation? Many of the words imply something that comes unexpectedly: godsend, gift, blessing, boon, or fortune. Other words for things that might inspire gratitude imply hard work, such as achievement, accomplishment, deed, or feat. When students in our science fair earned a prize that had been donated, we required them to write a thank-you note to the business or attraction. It provided an excellent opportunity to help them develop questions to ask themselves and then choose words and phrases that made expressing appreciation a more enjoyable activity. As Chesterton reminds us, “The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, another famous author and thinker, encourages, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” Develop the habit of gratitude by strengthening the vocabulary of giving thanks.
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others” (Cicero). Cultivating gratitude yields many rewards. Many studies have shown that those who are grateful are happier, are more peaceful, and are more pleasant to be around. Being grateful may even result in a longer life. John Milton declared, “Gratitude bestows reverence. . . . changing forever how we experience life and the world.” November, at least in the United States, is the month most associated with gratitude. Every store is full of harvest decor that reminds us to be thankful, show gratitude, and remember that we are blessed. Sowing the seeds of giving thanks will reap a harvest of wonder, happiness, and higher thinking skills.
by Danielle Olander
