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Gratitude as a Ritual Expressing Thanks on Thanksgiving

Gratitude as a Ritual Expressing Thanks on Thanksgiving What do you think of when you think of â€Å"rituals†? For me, the word conjures up Shabbat dinners, Passover seders, and lighting the Hannukah menorah. Growing up in a Jewish household, we observed these rituals at the proper time on the calendar, and I always found they were an opportunity to take a step back from the other routines of life and reflect on the theme of the holiday. With Thanksgiving coming, many of us are preparing for a popular ritual: A big dinner, likely comprised of turkey (or Tofurkey), cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, amongst other goodies. In the air is a general sense that the theme is gratitude. But do you actually take time to express your gratitude on Thanksgiving, or do you just stuff yourself silly? And do you find yourself uplifted during this season, or like so many, do sadness and anxiety creep in? Expressing Thanks on Thanksgiving In my family, we usually go around the Thanksgiving table at some point and each say something we’re grateful for. I like this ritual. Expressing gratitude is scientifically proven through positive psychology research to increase happiness. It gives us a sense of our own goodness (it’s sure more self-affirming than complaining!) as well as a recognition of the good things around us. I have noticed that there’s often a level of discomfort in expressing gratitude publicly, even amongst family. But everyone still does it and I always feel more connected with the family after we express our gratitude. People often give thanks for food and health, for something that has happened in the past, or for being safe given specific world events. This year, the sense of gratitude will be very real given that I will be with my sister’s in-laws who have family in Puerto Rico. It occurs to me that there is also a deeper level we can reach: a direct personal expression. I’m inspired this year to bring a deeper aspect of gratitude to our Thanksgiving ritual. A New Gratitude Ritual? There’s a video series on the Science of Happiness that came out in 2013 and that for some reason I just saw for the first time last week. The experiment in the video was based, I believe, on research by Martis E.P. Seligman, who found that people who wrote and delivered letters of gratitude exhibited a huge increase in happiness compared to a control group. In the video, individuals were asked to write a letter to a person who influenced them and then to read it to that person. Before and after the exercise, their happiness was tested. Overall, there was a strong trend toward more happiness after the individuals read their letters to their recipients. This has me thinking, what if we take time this Thanksgiving to appreciate someone in the room who has made a difference in our lives, in addition to the standard things we’re grateful for? To me, that will make for an even more memorable Thanksgiving and will likely start out my holiday season- and the holidays of anyone who participates- with a higher happiness quotient. What’s in Your Gratitude Basket? What are you grateful for this holiday season? Who will be at your Thanksgiving table to whom you want to offer gratitude for the way they’ve influenced your life? Are you willing to go the extra step to express your feelings to them? And if you won’t be with someone who fits that category, would you be willing to write a letter and read it to the recipient? Let’s get the gratitude ball rolling, and bring it into all aspects of our lives. Into our home, our relationships, and our workplaces. The science shows we’ll all have more well-being, motivation, and overall success. In that spirit, thank you for reading my blog week after week, letting me know I make a difference, and inspiring me to bring my thoughts and creativity to life. You give me a weekly boost in my own gratitude and happiness. Thank you and enjoy your Thanksgiving ritual! Did you enjoy this article? Sign up for my Life and Leadership e-list for more inspiring articles like this one.

Abolitionist Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Abolitionist Movement - Essay Example Christian advocates, economic changes and intellectual growth gave rise to abolitionist campaigns within Europe and America (â€Å"A Brief History of the  American†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Spain began the first European law that abolished slavery after Dominican religious leader Baryolome de las witnessed the mistreatment of natives, but the laws became weak in 1545. In 17th century Quakers and the enthusiastic religious members began crusades citing that slavery goes against Christian requirements. The England Sommersett’s court case that occurred in 1772 influenced most decisions that led to elimination of slavery. It is clear that France did away with slavery in 1789 however; through the leadership of Napoleon he introduced it later in most colonies. Additionally, Britain banned the sourcing and importation of African slaves in all its colonies around 1807. The British Empire on its part eliminated all forms of slavery in 1883, after the approval of the Slavery Abolition Act while France followed 15 years later (Ferrell 7). The initial calls to end slavery (colonial-era) in America appeared in 1688 by Quakers of German and Dutch heritage from Germantown, Pennsylvania who wrote letters to other Quaker church groups condemning the practice. The Society of Friends was a major contributor to this movement but they did not make much impact on slavery centers. However, their influence was felt in 1787 when the federal government eliminated slavery in the Northwest region and trans-Atlantic slave trade was forbidden in 1808 (â€Å"A Brief History of the  American†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). It is evident, that the most influential part of the Abolitionist movement started in 1830s through religious resurgence of the commonly known Second Great Awakening. The religious leaders at this time viewed slavery as a sin and requested people to renounce it to receive repentance. In 1833, the American Anti-Slavery Society recruited many members while they preached that slavery was morally wrong and advocated for