Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness, and that gratefulness is a measure of our aliveness.
David Steindl-Rast
Everything Is a Gift
Topic: Gratitude
Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness, and that gratefulness is a measure of our aliveness.
David Steindl-Rast, a 96-year-old Benedictine monk, author, and scholar, is globally celebrated for his enduring teachings on gratitude as the foundation of lasting happiness. Often referred to as the “grandfather of gratitude,” Steindl-Rast has been a beacon of inspiration and spiritual mentor to an array of international leaders and luminaries such as Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Thomas Merton. His significant contribution to the modern interfaith dialogue movement is noteworthy, and his teachings have been shared alongside thought-leaders like Eckhart Tolle, Jack Kornfield, and Roshi Joan Halifax.
Steindl-Rast's wisdom and insights have been showcased in recent interviews with influential figures like Oprah Winfrey, Krista Tippett, and Tami Simon, extending his reach to a wider audience. His TED talk on the subject of gratefulness, which emphasizes its role as a transformative power in individual lives and broader societies, has been viewed almost 10,000,000 times, reflecting his substantial impact on global audiences.
He is also affiliated with Grateful.org, an organization dedicated to cultivating gratitude as a transformative and healing practice. Steindl-Rast's teachings continue to echo across generations, fostering a culture of gratitude and encouraging an interfaith dialogue centered on universal values and shared human experiences. His life's work is a testament to his unwavering commitment to the exploration and promotion of gratitude as the bedrock of holistic well-being and spiritual fulfillment.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be... {David Steindl-Rast | TEDGlobal 2013 Want to be happy? Be grateful].
David Steindl-Rast
Theme: Gratefulness
About This David Steindl-Rast Quotation [Commentary]
David Steindl-Rast’s assertion, “Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness, and that gratefulness is a measure of our aliveness,” invites us to recognize the inherent value in every moment. This perspective encourages us to be aware of the present and appreciate even the simplest aspects of life. According to Steindl-Rast, our ability to see and embrace this truth reflects our level of gratefulness, which in turn indicates our vitality and engagement with life.
In the context passage, Steindl-Rast explains the transformative power of gratefulness in reducing fear and violence. He suggests that a grateful mindset fosters a sense of sufficiency and abundance, reducing competition and promoting sharing and respect. This change in perception can lead to significant societal improvements, encouraging harmony and mutual respect. Steindl-Rast’s insights show that gratitude is not just a personal virtue but a crucial element that can influence social structures and relationships.
Steindl-Rast’s methodology of “stop, look, go” highlights the practice of mindfulness in cultivating gratitude. By pausing to fully engage with the present moment, we become open to its opportunities and gifts. This practice of noticing and responding to the present moment enhances our ability to live gratefully, even in difficult times. Steindl-Rast acknowledges that while not everything in life is good, every moment holds the potential for growth and learning, presenting an opportunity for gratitude. This intentional approach to life nurtures a deep sense of aliveness, rooted in recognizing and appreciating life’s gifts.
An Additional Br. David Steindl-Rast Quote
More About Br. David Steindl-Rast From Krista Tippett [Excerpt from On Being Interview]
Mysticism is the birthright of every human being, says Br. David Steindl-Rast. He speaks of the anatomy and practice of gratitude as full-blooded, reality-based, and redeeming. Now in his 90s, he has lived through a world war, the end of an empire, and the fascist takeover of his country. He was an early pioneer, together with Thomas Merton, of dialogue between Christian and Buddhist monastics. He’s also given a TED talk, viewed over six million times, on the subject of gratitude—a practice increasingly interrogated by scientists and physicians as a key to human well-being.
David Steindl-Rast is the founder and senior advisor for A Network for Grateful Living. His books include Gratefulness, A Listening Heart, and most recently, a new autobiography, i am through you so i.
I’m Krista Tippett, and this is On Being. Today, at the Gut Aich Priory in St. Gilgen, Austria, with Br. David Steindl-Rast.
[music: “Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, II. Allemande” by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Edgar Meyer]
MS. TIPPETT: There are a few qualities—say, aspects or qualities of the experience of gratefulness and thanksgiving that you’ve noted that I’d love to just draw out. And one of them is beholding—that surprise can be a beginning of being grateful, and beholding, and also, listening. I guess what we’re talking about here is attending.
BR. STEINDL-RAST: Well, for me, this idea of listening and really looking and beholding—that comes in when people ask, “Well, how shall we practice this gratefulness?” And there is a very simple kind of methodology to it: Stop, look, go. Most of us—caught up in schedules and deadlines and rushing around, and so the first thing is that we have to stop, because otherwise we are not really coming into this present moment at all, and we can’t even appreciate the opportunity that is given to us, because we rush by, and it rushes by. So stopping is the first thing.
But that doesn’t have to be long. When you are in practice, a split second is enough—“stop.” And then you look: What is, now, the opportunity of this given moment, only this moment, and the unique opportunity this moment gives? And that is where this beholding comes in. And if we really see what the opportunity is, we must, of course, not stop there, but we must do something with it: Go. Avail yourself of that opportunity. And if you do that, if you try practicing that at this moment, tonight, we will already be happier people, because it has an immediate feedback of joy.
I always say, not—I don’t speak of the gift, because not for everything that’s given to you can you really be grateful. You can’t be grateful for war in a given situation, or violence or domestic violence or sickness, things like that. There are many things for which you cannot be grateful. But in every moment, you can be grateful.
For instance, the opportunity to learn something from a very difficult experience—what to grow by it, or even to protest, to stand up and take a stand—that is a wonderful gift in a situation in which things are not the way they ought to be. So opportunity is really the key when people ask, “Can you be grateful for everything?”—no, not for everything, but in every moment.
MS. TIPPETT: And you are a Benedictine. And it seems to me that the Psalms, in fact, provide such a rich demonstration of—gratitude is woven into almost every Psalm, in some way. But it is held together with an expression of every conceivable human emotion—anger, fury, murderous fury, a sense of injustice and unfairness and despair and sadness and disappointment. And the gratitude is still there as an insistence, but it’s more resilient than the circumstances of the moment. It’s not a reaction to their circumstances of the moment, but it’s an intention that is held. I don’t know. What is it?
BR. STEINDL-RAST: It’s not a—you put it very well. It’s not a reaction to the present moment, because that would be something automatic, but it is a chosen response.
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