Gratitude and the modern condition

Our obsession with control obscures the goodness of what is given

We feel gratitude when someone does something for us outside the realm of exchange. One wants to mark it, this arrival of something that overflows what is expected, and recognize the  source of it. In acting outside necessity, our benefactor shines.

Or one may feel gratitude without a counter-party to receive it, in response to some fortunate condition t…