Be A Little Grateful, Huh?
Comedian Louis CK, on Conan, on The Spoiled Generation. Incidentally, my friend Sonja Lyubomirsky notes in her book, The How Of Happiness, that feeling grateful is one way people can feel markedly happier.
AMY ALKON, APPLIED BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AUTHOR, SPEAKER, NATIONALLY SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
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4.37
Without gratitude, happiness is not possible
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at March 3, 2009 6:31 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/03/be-a-little-gra.html#comment-1636756">comment from Crid [cridcridatgmail]Not to go all sappy on you, but I think one of the reasons I'm generally a happy and optimistic person (besides whatever genetic propensity I have for it) is the fact that I'm grateful for the little things...a good lunch, having interesting friends, an interesting blog comment. And actually, I'm thrilled and amazed by all the technology we have and the ease of modern life, especially modern life in America. Aside from the bullshit we go through in airports thanks to Muslims who want to murder us for Allah, I think the ability to get into a giant can on one coast and be on the other in five or six hours, is seriously cool. I'm both a supreme cynic and the least jaded 44-year-old you'll meet.
Amy Alkon
at March 3, 2009 6:49 AM
This also explains the election of Barack Obama.
Jim Treacher at March 3, 2009 8:27 AM
A classic rant. I had a young (early 20's) hipster kid working for me, and we started talking about old punk rock records. (y'know the vinyl kind.) I was explaining how I, a kid in the midwest in the very early 80's, would buy punk records by ordering from ads in punk 'zines like MMR, sending a money order, waiting 6-8 weeks, and MAYBE getting something back in the mail.
The kid looks at me like I'm an idiot and says, "why didn't you just order that stuff on the internet?"
I almost killed him right on the spot. No jury would convict me (provided all the jurors were at least 40 years old.)
COOP at March 3, 2009 9:32 AM
Kids. History began with the moment of their birth.
brian at March 3, 2009 10:00 AM
This whole video just connected with me. As far as I am concerned, we are living in the best times history ever saw. I remember talking with my mother about the simple fact that I can buy an orange any time of the year with the pocket money I have right now on me. This is for me the ultimate symbol of luxury.
I am also in awe in front of my two iPods. I got a iPod Touch and an old iPod Nano second generation. For me, those two gadgets are right out of Sci-Fi dreams I had as a kid in the '80. My iPod touch got a copy of Wikipedia on it! It's a freaking encyclopedia in my pocket!
Some people need to stop whining about the little unpleasantness of life and focus what is now possible today compared to a lifetime ago.
Toubrouk at March 3, 2009 7:41 PM
Airplanes in particular are a good venue for this topic. Even though the time is usually spent close to strangers –a circumstance I loathe– many of the most moving moments of my life have been spent in airline seats, if only to look down on the clouds, oceans and continents.
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at March 3, 2009 11:08 PM
"sitting in a chair in the sky" that the best line ever or what?
Ah, the good, old days.
And, yes, it drives me nuts when people don't appreciate the little things. You can have all the money in the world but if you don't appreciate the things it'll buy you (even if it's as simple as not worrying where your next meal is coming from), you will never, ever be happy.
Amy, I turned 51 last week, and I totally get that -- even though I'm jaded as hell.
T's Grammy at March 4, 2009 10:18 AM
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