Gratitude (according to Cicero)
Fish Eyes on Terra Firm; An Exercise in Gratitude
Sophia: Imagine, if you will, a fish lifted from the water — blinking at the strange brightness of the air. Gratitude is that first breath, the gasp that reminds us life was never owed to us in the first place.
Rousseau: Then wisdom begins not in knowing, but in feeling. The gentle current of kindness carries more truth than the cold depths of intellect. To see through another’s eyes — even a fish’s — is to be reborn into empathy.
Wiesel: Yes, and yet so few notice the miracle of breathing. Gratitude is not a single act, but a rhythm — the pulse of being human. When one forgets to give thanks, they drift toward a kind of spiritual amnesia.
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Sophia: A blindness of the heart. Gratitude opens the eye beneath the eye — what the fish might call seeing without water. To look at the solid ground and still feel the sea within is to live with awareness.
Rousseau: And kindness? It is gratitude made visible. The return current of the soul.
Wiesel: Precisely. To thank is to recognize that one’s existence depends on others — on mercy, on chance, on grace. Without that recognition, even the firmest ground becomes hollow.
When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.
— Elie Wiesel (1928-2016)
Sophia: Then let us say this: wisdom swims where kindness flows, and gratitude is the bridge between worlds — from water to land, from self to other, from ignorance to awe.
Rousseau: And in that crossing, we find what it means to be truly human.
Wiesel: Not by what we know, but by how we give thanks.
Sophia: So be it. Fish eyes on terra firma — seeing the world anew, not because it has changed, but because we have learned to look with gratitude.
The planksip Writers' Cooperative is proud to sponsor an exciting article rewriting competition where you can win part of over $750,000 in available prize money.
Figures of Speech Collection Personified
Our editorial instructions for your contest submission are simple: incorporate the quotes and imagery from the above article into your submission.
What emerges is entirely up to you!
Winners receive $500 per winning entry multiplied by the article's featured quotes. Our largest prize is $8,000 for rewriting the following article;
Heraclitus
At planksip, we believe in changing the way people engage—at least, that's the Idea (ἰδέα). By becoming a member of our thought-provoking community, you'll have the chance to win incredible prizes and access our extensive network of media outlets, which will amplify your voice as a thought leader. Your membership truly matters!