Gratitude is a revolutionary force that awakens us to the profound interconnectedness of all beings and experiences. It is both a practice and a way of being that transforms how we relate to us, the world and beyond.
Yet, to understand gratitude fully, we must first recognise how it has been both weaponised and reclaimed throughout history.
The Politics of Gratitude
It is unfortunate that gratitude has been weaponised as a tool of control, especially in oppressive systems. Namely, it demands systematically excluded identities to express thankfulness for basic rights and opportunities that should be provided for all beings.
You may come across phrases like "be grateful for what you have", "don't bite the hand that feeds you" and many others. These systemically gaslighting narratives are manifestations of weaponised gratitude that allows these structures to perpetuate by:
- Creating artificial, binary hierarchies of benefactor and recipient
- Fostering dependency and undermining collective autonomy
- Obscuring systemic inequities behind a veneer of generosity
- Silencing voices of dissent through emotional manipulation
When gratitude becomes an external expectation rather than an internal emergence, it loses its transformative power and becomes another instrument of domination. This is particularly true for those who bear intersecting forms of marginalization, like women of colour and nonconforming gender identities, where the pressure to be grateful can compound existing traumas and reinforce systemic exclusion.
Reclaiming Gratitude as Liberation
In mettamancy, we recognize that true gratitude is an act of radical self-love and collective liberation. It emerges not from obligation but from a deep awareness of our inherent wholeness and interconnectedness. This gratitude is:
Bodyful and Embodied
True gratitude lives in our bodies as a felt sense of abundance and connection. It is somatic wisdom that reminds us we are complete just as we are. This bodyful gratitude can be accessed even in the worst of moments, not as a denial of pain but as a resource for compassionate resilience.
Autonomous and Authentic
Unlike imposed gratitude, authentic gratitude arises spontaneously from our own direct experience. It is a choice we make to recognize and celebrate the web of relationships that sustains us, while maintaining our dignity and right to critique systemic injustice.
Transformative and Revolutionary
When we practice gratitude as an expression of our personal power rather than our subordination, it becomes a force for personal transformations that accumulates into collective liberation. It helps us recognise both the gifts we receive and our capacity to be give, breaking cycles of scarcity thinking that capitalism instills.
Most of us have forgotten that being able to just be is gratifying enough. As Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, the ability to simply be present to our experience is itself a profound gift. This presence allows us to access genuine gratitude even in difficult circumstances, not as a form of spiritual bypass but as a resource for sustainable resistance and collective healing.
Through these intersections, gratitude becomes not just a virtue but a collective practice of liberation, helping us build the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.
