THRIVING IN UNCERTAINTY: CULTIVATE GRATITUDE FOR OUR INTERDEPENDENCE

The Japanese practice of Naikan liberates us from the illusion of separation.

- RABBI RAMI SHAPIRO

Life, as Genesis 1:1 tells us, is tohu va-vohu: wild and chaotic, a state of existential uncertainty that often leaves us feeling isolated, helpless, and adrift. When deeply felt and practiced, gratitude acts as an antidote to all this by revealing the interdependence of life in a manner that dismantles despair and alienation and invites joy and community.

Consider your lungs. They are essential for your survival, taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. However, they do not produce the oxygen necessary for your survival; trees and other green plants do that. Conversely, trees do not generate the carbon dioxide needed for their survival; you do that. You give each other the elements vital for mutual survival.

Recognizing this fosters gratitude toward trees and encourages behaviors that support their thriving.

What is true about you and trees applies to everything. To paraphrase the apostle Paul, all life is a vast web of giving and receiving in which you live, move, and have your being (Acts 17:28). Gratitude arises naturally from realizing this truth.

The universe is structured to offer you far more than you can give back.

Many years ago, I learned about gratitude and interdependence from an anonymous shoemaker at the Rockport Company. I had sent a pair of wingtip dress shoes to the factory for resoling. The refurbished shoes were returned with a handwritten note:

Dear Rabbi Shapiro, We at Rockport take great pride in the quality of our shoes. However, the condition of your shoes suggests that you do not share this pride. The backs are cracked due to improper use, the leather is dry from insufficient cleaning and polishing, and the overall appearance of the shoes is untidy. I have done my best to repair your shoes, but on behalf of everyone who works hard to provide you with quality footwear, I wish you would take better care of them.