I usually read the preface before I tackle any book - books that have prefaces, that is. In the preface the author usually summarizes his or her main premise, which often gets lost in the actual writing. (I'm not sure why that is, though I have some theories... And I have concluded that many books I read should end about a hundred pages before they do... Or do I just have a short attention-span?!)
I recently bought an interesting new book - The Gift of Thanks by Margaret Visser, an author whom I admire. I found the preface fascinating! In it, she mentions that "German sociologist George Simmell claimed that gratitude is what ... holds ... society together," and she (Margaret Visser) would go so far as to say that "gratitude contributes to the spiritual well-being of every person, but especially of those who are thankful."
As a parent who derives great joy from hearing my children express appreciation for what they have, I felt that this book had a lot to offer. And it does. But for now, I'm a little bogged down in a discussion of why some cultures (like Japanese) would say "I'm sorry" when we (in English) would say "Thank you." And how in our culture and language (English) we say "Thank you" more than many other cultures.
But I'm plodding along, hoping to get to the meat of the matter in the near future - and by that I mean, why it is important for all of us to be grateful.
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