While the visualizations may be pleasant, saying one is grateful for something seems like it may (at least subconsciously) involve comparing it to a world in which that thing does not exist.
Are you trying to say that it should work similarly to a desensitization therapy? But then, there might exist the reversed mode, where you get attached to things even more, as you meditate on why are they good to have. Which of these modes dominates is not clear to me.
Additionally, by cultivating good feelings about the things one already has, it may aid with the grieving process; the process is likely to be set up to struggle less when letting go of a supposed need, the more positive feelings one experiences.
I don’t think I get this. Doesn’t this apply to any positive thing in life? (e.g. why single out the gratitude practise?)
Are you trying to say that it should work similarly to a desensitization therapy? But then, there might exist the reversed mode, where you get attached to things even more, as you meditate on why are they good to have. Which of these modes dominates is not clear to me.
I think you make a good point. I feel I was gesturing at something at something real when I wrote down the comparison notion, but didn’t express it quite right. Here’s how I would express it now:
The key thing I failed to point out in the post is that just visualizing a good thing you have or what’s nice about it is not the same as being grateful for it. Gratitude includes an acknowledgement. When you thank an acquaintance for, say, having given you helpful advice, you’re acknowledging that they didn’t necessarily have to go out of their way to do that. Even if you’re grateful for something a specific person didn’t give you, and you don’t believe in a god, the same feeling of acknowledgment is present. I suspect this acknowledgement is what pushes things out of the need-set.
And indeed, as you point out, just meditating on why something is good to have might increase attachment (or it might not, the model doesn’t make a claim about which effect would be stronger).
I don’t think I get this. Doesn’t this apply to any positive thing in life? (e.g. why single out the gratitude practise?)
I expect most positive things would indeed help somewhat, but that gratitude practice would help more. If someone lost a pet, giving them some ice cream may help. However, as long as their mind is still making the comparison to the world where their pet is still alive, the help may be limited. That said, to the extent that they manage to feel grateful for the ice cream, it seems to me as though their internal focus has shifted in a meaningful way, away from grasping at the world where their pet is still alive and towards the real world.
Are you trying to say that it should work similarly to a desensitization therapy? But then, there might exist the reversed mode, where you get attached to things even more, as you meditate on why are they good to have. Which of these modes dominates is not clear to me.
I don’t think I get this. Doesn’t this apply to any positive thing in life? (e.g. why single out the gratitude practise?)
I think you make a good point. I feel I was gesturing at something at something real when I wrote down the comparison notion, but didn’t express it quite right. Here’s how I would express it now:
The key thing I failed to point out in the post is that just visualizing a good thing you have or what’s nice about it is not the same as being grateful for it. Gratitude includes an acknowledgement. When you thank an acquaintance for, say, having given you helpful advice, you’re acknowledging that they didn’t necessarily have to go out of their way to do that. Even if you’re grateful for something a specific person didn’t give you, and you don’t believe in a god, the same feeling of acknowledgment is present. I suspect this acknowledgement is what pushes things out of the need-set.
And indeed, as you point out, just meditating on why something is good to have might increase attachment (or it might not, the model doesn’t make a claim about which effect would be stronger).
I expect most positive things would indeed help somewhat, but that gratitude practice would help more. If someone lost a pet, giving them some ice cream may help. However, as long as their mind is still making the comparison to the world where their pet is still alive, the help may be limited. That said, to the extent that they manage to feel grateful for the ice cream, it seems to me as though their internal focus has shifted in a meaningful way, away from grasping at the world where their pet is still alive and towards the real world.