Forgetting Gratitude Will Lead to Being Lost

Xuefeng

June 6, 2023

A grateful heart keeps the mind clear and the future bright. Gratitude attracts blessings, and a grateful heart reduces obstacles along the way. Once gratitude is forgotten, one may lose one’s path, and life's journey becomes chaotic and filled with continuous setbacks and hardships.

When the warm sun shines upon us and the sky is clear and blue, when we witness the beauty of mountains and rivers, and hear the chirping of birds and the croaking of frogs and geese flying across the blue sky, does a sense of gratitude arise spontaneously? Without gratitude towards the Creator, we cannot fully appreciate the pure cleansing of the soul that comes with a grateful heart. We will also find it difficult to experience the extreme joy and satisfaction that gratitude brings.

Regardless of whether one's family is wealthy or poor, parents always do their best to care for their children. As children, have we expressed gratitude to our parents? Looking back at our infancy, childhood, and youth, during which period did we not receive our parents' love and care? How can we forget the kindness of our parents? Regardless of their knowledge, four outlooks, economic or social status, our parents have shown us kindness, and we must not forget it. Once we forget, we have failed as human beings. If your parents go against your wishes once, and you completely forget the countless times they have cared for you, it signifies a loss of gratitude. Once the sense of gratitude is lost, the flow of blessings is cut off, and thereafter, life will not be smooth.

Over the sixty-plus years of my interactions with people, I have discovered that many conflicts and sources of distress and pain between individuals are related to a lack of gratitude. For example, if Zhang San has helped Li Si selflessly many times, but one time Zhang San refuses Li Si's request for help, Li Si changes his attitude, becomes angry, and even engages in arguments and offensive speech. I think to myself, "Li Si, oh Li Si, you are truly an ungrateful person. Zhang San has been so good to you, yet you are so petty and even repay kindness with enmity. You truly do not know how to appreciate."

"Repaying a drop of water with a gushing spring" is beyond my capacity. However, I can achieve something else. If someone has shown me a small favor or helped me once, I can joyfully accept their refusal or insult ten times. Why can I do this? Because I don't forget their kindness.

Every person should reflect on whether they have received help from others on their journey of life. If they have, they should remember that person's kindness. If we only remember the kindness we have received, then in future interactions with that person, we will know how to treat them. No matter how they treat us, we only need to remember the good they once did for us.

What are the consequences of forgetting gratitude?

If we have benefited from someone and instead of showing gratitude, we not only forget their kindness but also harm them, will they be willing to help us on our future journey of life? Will people around us be willing to lend a helping hand when we face difficulties and adversity?

Forgetting gratitude will lead us to become increasingly lonely, unwelcome, and isolated. Our path will become narrower.

We all know that Zimbabwe is now one of the poorest countries in the world. How did a country that was once the breadbasket of southern Africa, with a pleasant climate and beautiful natural environment, rich in tourism resources, fall into such poverty? It is because Zimbabwe forgot gratitude. Zimbabwe forcibly seized 4,000 white-owned farms without compensation, driving those white farmers away from their land. This led to a systemic crisis with talent and capital outflow. Within a few years, the country's currency collapsed, and it rapidly transitioned from wealth to poverty. I lived in Zimbabwe for a full sixteen years, and I understand the country's past and current situation, as well as the significant contributions of white-owned farms to Zimbabwe. However, the people of Zimbabwe fail to show gratitude towards the white population and instead repay kindness with animosity. The consequence is disorder and poverty.

Today, we criticize the United States, labeling it as hegemonic and assertive, saying, "The intention of the American imperialism to make us perish never dies." However, in China's history, there are not many instances of the United States bullying China, but rather countless examples of the United States offering assistance. So, what will happen to China? What will be the result of this ingratitude? Will China become the next Zimbabwe? If instead of gratitude, China continues to criticize the United States, constantly seeking confrontation, within ten years, China may very well follow in the footsteps of Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

Remembering gratitude, individuals will not suffer losses, nations will not suffer losses, and the country will not suffer losses. The path will become wider as we go. Forgetting gratitude, individuals will encounter setbacks, nations will face hardships, and the country will move towards disaster. The path will become narrower as we go.