We’re in the final stretch. Only a few more classes and perhaps finals in the next couple weeks. So as we are all feeling the stress of the end times, who’s to blame? More specifically, who has done the most to contribute to your success and failure in this last semester? After this semester comes to a close, it is important to express gratitude to those who have contributed to the outcome.
I know it’s more of a Thanksgiving topic, but giving thanks is always relevant. We, as Americans, tend to take credit for more things than we probably should. For instance, we go home and tell our parents we ace a final, but leave out the part where our roommate stayed up and helped you make the study guide. On the other hand, whose getting the blame if we fail that final? Us? Or would that fall on the roommate who just must have put incorrect answers on the study guide?
It is chronic problem in the entire nation. We simply do not feel gratitude like we once did, and that practice is leading to more unlikeable people with higher expectations. Think back to early school; you remember the kid that always got everything that he asked for? That guy had all the best toys and hottest gadgets coupled with the most rotten and despicable attitude.
No one likes that guy. And yet, you probably wanted to be that guy. I know I did. However, I was so much more grateful for what I did have and did get, and it’s made me a better person in the long run. The fact of the matter is that when you get anything for free often and in large quantities, you’re going to quickly become less grateful for what you are receiving.
This holiday season, it’s a time for gratitude. We are all coming off of a semester that, whether it went well or not, was not always easy. College is tough, and no one is asking for any of us to do it all alone, so we should not act like we have done it all on our own. Don’t hear what I’m not saying though, take pride in your accomplishments. Just consider taking greater pride in the ways you’ve helped others and others have helped you.
