Gratitude Journal Experiment: Week 3

In case you’re not familiar with this experiment of mine, I’m going to do 6 gratitude journal entries on my blog to see if it gets me more in touch with happiness. You can read more about how to do a gratitude journal here.

For each entry, I’m going to write 3 to 5 things that made me feel grateful during the week. Please note that I write my posts a week ahead of time so it may be a little outdated when it’s published!

Here are the tips summarized. Remember to pin it!

That person who disagreed with me on climate change

I published the post on the carbon cycle and how it relates to the climate crisis on Medium, and someone wrote a lengthy comment saying how my post was alarmist, ill-informed and skewed.

When I first read the comment, my cheeks and ears burnt – because I was worried I’d made a mistake (yeah I’m kind of fragile). And I hate confrontation, even behind a screen.

But I also knew that it’s a good thing to receive comments like that. I’ve been expecting it! It’s good practice for me, for the Internet is full of people with different opinions, and that’s perfectly normal and fine. I’m grateful that he wasn’t too offensive. Lucky me!

I wrote him a respectful reply. I told him that I disagree, that we do have an alarming situation, and my post wasn’t based on my opinion, but climate scientists’ extensive research. Of course, I don’t expect to change his mind. I just didn’t want him to think that I agree with him.

This may seem insignificant for many people, but it’s pretty new for me. Being sensitive, I’m usually very protective of my views.

So, I feel grateful that I dealt with it peacefully, even happily. I’m grateful that I have the strength in me to say “I disagree”, and I’m glad that I was able to entertain a different opinion objectively. The best part is, it didn’t make me sad or mad. Maybe I’m starting to mature after all!

Everyone who supported me and tried to see things from my point of view

I know that people are very different, so it’s incredible that I’ve had so many nice comments from all of you who read my blog. I’m so grateful that you guys didn’t scrutinize for mistakes, which I’m sure I make and miss. Perhaps I’m still new in my journey, but everyone I met has been kind and supportive so far.

To be honest, putting opinions and writings out there can be frightening for an introvert. I know some people love debates and welcome a fight, but I’m not like that. Ironically, I also have a lot to say, I have stands and opinions and my ideas of what’s right and wrong. Being both introverted and opinionated isn’t the best combination. It can invite a lot of trouble.

Which is why I’m very thankful for everyone who has been encouraging so far. It’s because of your kindness that I feel comfortable enough to keep writing. That’s not to say that you can’t disagree with me! You can. And sometimes I do make mistakes, especially when I’m learning about entirely new subjects.

In that case, please bear with me, and let me know.

Food on the table

Vanessa twitted about how her students sometimes have only one meal a day.

It made them tired and cranky, so she brings them bread and it made a difference. I know, she’s wonderful! As someone who loves to eat, it pains me to think about people going hungry, and even more so when it’s little kids.

Even though food insecurity has been happening throughout history, that doesn’t make it any less sad. If anything, it made me wonder why humans have never been able to eliminate this problem despite technological advances. There seem to be some basic problems in human society that can’t be changed. Like greed, inequality, and poverty.

As we waste 40% of our food, people are missing meals every day. The thought of that bugs me to no end.

I’m thankful that I’ve food on the table, that I have three meals a day and often snacks too. I’m thankful that produce is relatively affordable here and in Singapore, and that I have time to cook.

I’m thankful that I’ve never had to starve or worry about the next meal all my life. These are things we shouldn’t take for granted, because there are many people, even those in developed countries, who are worried about their next meal.

The ability to empathize

Empathy describes the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s situation. Of all our abilities, empathy has to be one of the best or most important.

It’s the reason we feel a floodgate of love when we look at our pets and brighten up when we converse with a friend on Twitter. The reason someone who prefers to be childless can delight at the news of a friend who got pregnant.

And why I feel sad when I read about Molly’s difficult situation. She is a fellow blogger who often writes about the injustice many underrepresented people face, things that most of us overlook. Do visit her blog and offer her some support!

Empathy helps us to build an understanding and connection with the world, reminding us of the beauty of being alive, and enabling us to be kind to one another.

Without empathy, I think it’s impossible to establish an emotional connection with someone. I read that for psychopaths, they don’t always feel empathy – it’s like a switch for them. They can understand why people feel love, sadness or pain, but not necessarily on an emotional level.

I wonder if psychopaths feel a weird sense of freedom since there’ll be lesser pain and fear. But they also miss out on the magical parts of being human.

I’m grateful to be able to empathize deeply, though it hurts sometimes. Every meaningful connection I’ve ever established is rooted in empathy. If I can’t feel empathy genuinely, my world will lose a lot of depth. I like to think that empathy is a superpower that turns ordinary life into a richer emotional experience. Do you agree?

Reflections

It’s surprisingly difficult to come up with things to write about, but when the inspiration strikes, I can’t seem to stop.

I realized that these gratitude journal exercises often turn into a word-association “game”. As you can see, this week’s theme is empathy and how we communicate with people. It wasn’t intentional. But since I was only supposed to write once a week, I didn’t jot down what I was grateful for during the week.

So, as I sat down to write the entry at the end of the week, one thought led to another and they’re all somewhat connected. It seemed to have created a cohesive experience so far. This entry got me feeling quite emotional. We’ll see how the next one goes!

What about you? What are you grateful for this week? Let me know in the comments!