When hearing and listening to the song I feel a great sense of gratitude towards my mum and dad. My parents and I do not see eye to eye. Our relationship is one of a distant relationship but at the same time, I am extremely thankful to them for what I am today.

In the song, the first verse:

“Every generation

Blames the one before

And all of their frustrations

Come beating on your door”

It summons up many people’s frustration towards their parents. With all due respect, their elders, society, circumstances, and many other things have conditioned our parents. In a similar manner, we to have been conditioned just as our parents and we are conditioning our young ones in a similar manner.

Many of the beliefs/norms, meanings and values used to condition you are deadly viruses that destructively consume you in terms of your thoughts, health, career, finance, relationships, growth and much more. Then you wonder how did I mess up my life and many of us end up blaming our parents, circumstances, society and other things.

In all these years of my existence, I have come to realise no matter what, there is one thing that amplifies your compassion thus allows you to forgive yourself and others. That one important miracle ingredient is gratitude, being thankful.

An article in Forbes.com stated in “A 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam War Veterans with higher levels of gratitude experienced lower rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”.

My dear friend and coach, Ray Jacobs, continues to reinforce in me, the power of gratitude. Ray has been empowering people at all levels for over 40 years now. No matter what adversity he goes through his attitude of gratitude is heartfelt which is evident by his smile and his actions of compassion are immeasurable.

In the true sense I am grateful to my parents, a heartfelt thank you goes out to them every moment of my life. All human beings have weaknesses and faults, including you and me. There endless things I am grateful to my parent for yet I would like to mention nine things that makes me want to hug, kiss and say I love you to them infinity times.

In the Quran there is a verse in Surah Al-Luqman that says: 31:12 “…Anywho is grateful does so to the profit of his own soul…”

The nine things I am grateful to them for are:

1. I am thankful to my parents for bringing me into this world. Without that happening, I would have never met the wonderful people who are in my life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

2. I am thankful to my parents for giving me a great education. Without that happening, I would not have been aware of the numerous choices I have in life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

3. I am thankful to my parents for giving nutritious food. Without that happening, I would not know that good food plays a crucial part in one’s growth, thinking and actions. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

4. I am thankful to my parents for giving me a roof to live under. Without that happening, I would not know the importance of living in pleasant surroundings. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

5. I am thankful to my parents for giving me clothes to wear. Without that happening I would not know that dressing up is a great feeling, it helps to boost the self-esteem and confidence. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

6. I am thankful to my parents for teaching me to respect young ones and elders. Without that happening, I would not know that respect develops beautiful long-lasting relationships. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

7. I am thankful to my parents for teaching me the importance of both hard and smart work. Without that happening, I would not know this is a great way to pass through failure to get to success. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

8. I am thankful to my parents for teaching me the importance of rejection. Without that happening, I would not know that rejection happens at every stage of one’s life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

9. I am thankful to my parents for showing me lessons of bitterness, hate, and expectations. Without that happening, I would not know the essence of compassion creates love and joy in our life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Saying thank you to all that has happened to you, all that is happening to you and all that will happen to you allows you to be a more humble person.

Saying thank you to all that you have received, all that you are receiving and all that you will receive allows you to become more abundant in life.

Saying thank you to all the events that have happened to you, all the events that are happening to you and all the events that will happen to you allow you to amplify your awareness of compassion.

The truth is that genuine gratitude is often ignored by most of us on a day-to-day basis. Ancient Cultures, Spirituality and Morden Science promotes the cultivation of gratitude. Its beauty is such that it does not cost anything in terms of time, money and resources. Research from across the globe reveals gratitude has several benefits for you and the people around you.

“The creatures that inhabit this earth – be they human beings or animals – are here to contribute to the beauty and prosperity of the world. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, have not just dropped from the sky. This is why we should be grateful to all our fellow creatures.” – Dalai Lama