The two barriers to being grateful for freedom
Our gratitude community is focusing on freedom as a theme this month so let’s dig into two barriers that get in the way of being grateful for your freedoms.
This first barrier is obvious. Freedom is one of those things that is far too easy to take for granted and we become complacent about it. Like anything you or I possess, once we possess it, it quickly grows old and we adapt to the new reality of what we possess. After a short time we behave as if our brains have totally forgotten about this possession. Possessing freedom is no different than possessing a car, a pair of pants, a job, a relationship, you name it—after a while you start to take it for granted.
The second barrier is not so obvious and it lies at the other end of the spectrum from complacency. This is the place of thinking that freedom is deserved and is absolute without regard to others. This is the mindset of entitlement and it results in me making it all about me. Entitlement creeps into relationships, jobs, working conditions, division of household duties, and if left unchecked will dominate all aspects of your life—and after a while you have a solid logical case for why you deserve "it" (whatever “it” happens to be).
The solution is simple but not easy—see your freedoms as a gift, a complete gift that you had no hand in bringing about. The consequence—receiving a gift naturally generates gratitude. The point is that we can never stop reminding ourselves of this so here are a few ideas to help you see your freedoms as a gift:
Make a list of your freedoms AND for each freedom, make a list of the people, dead or alive, who were involved in securing that freedom. List them by name and by group.
Attend a remembrance or memorial service for war veterans
Learn about the daily life of marginalized people in your community
Ask other people what they are grateful for about their freedoms
Visit a museum or read a book or watch a documentary that tells the history of the birth of freedom for a people
Make a list of your privileges
At the risk of opposition council saying, “Objection, leading the witness !”, I ask, how do you constantly remind yourself that your freedom is a gift ?
