People take life for granted, hence there is no gratitude in them. And without gratitude there is no growth, without gratitude there is no religion, without gratitude there is no prayer. Religion begins in gratitude and ends in gratitude. It is a journey from gratitude to gratitude. In the beginning it is a seed, in the end it becomes a flower. But the most fundamental fact is that life should not be taken for granted. We have not earned it, it is a gift. It is such a simple and obvious fact.
Maybe because it is so obvious, people tend to forget it. Religion does not begin in the belief that God exists, it begins in this awareness that life is a gift. We don’t know from whom – that has to be inquired into – but one thing is certain, it is a gift. Some unknown force, some mysterious force has given you the most valuable thing.
And once this feeling becomes crystallized in you, u, then the inquiry starts. Godliness is not very far away from gratitude.
