The Web of Gratitude
November is Gratitude Month, and this week we’re taking our practice to a deeper level with something we call the Web of Gratitude. (Thanks to Margot Burgoon for reminding me of this wonderful exercise.)
This one’s fun, but it also expands the way you see the world. It completely changes your attitude from taking things for granted to an attitude of Gratitude by reminding you how many people, inventions, and events have come together to make even the simplest parts of your life possible.
How it Works
Pick anything you usually take for granted – a cup of coffee, a toothbrush, a car, your phone – and start tracing back everything and everyone that made it possible.
I first did this when sitting on an airplane. I started by feeling grateful for the Wright Brothers, who proved flight was possible. Then, for all the engineers, designers, and test pilots who advanced aviation. Then, for the companies and people who build the planes, engines, and safety systems. I added the pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, and the inventors of radar and navigation systems.
But that’s just the beginning: How about the schools and teachers who educated all these people? To make those planes, someone had to mine the ore, smelt the steel, refine the fuel, and transport the materials. Each step required thousands of people, from the factory workers and truck drivers to the entrepreneurs who founded the companies and the financiers who helped them expand. And we need farmers to grow the food, refrigeration to keep it from spoiling, transportation, distribution, and grocery stores to feed all the people involved. I won’t go further, because you get the idea.
Keep following the connections and you realize that everything around you exists because of an extraordinary web of human creativity, cooperation and effort that spans generations.
Why it Matters
The Web of Gratitude replaces entitlement with appreciation. It builds empathy, humility, and awe. You begin to see how deeply connected you are to the rest of humanity, and to those who came before you.
When you realize how many people have contributed to even the smallest comforts you enjoy today, Gratitude stops being an isolated emotion and becomes a worldview.
Try it Today
Try your own Web of Gratitude with something simple. For instance, when you sit down for breakfast, think about everything that had to happen for you to enjoy that meal:
The farmers who grew the food
The truckers who delivered it
The grocery store employees who stocked it
The inventors who created the appliances you used to cook it
Once you start, you’ll see how endless the web becomes.
And that’s the beauty of this exercise: it reminds you that none of us live in isolation. We are supported by an invisible network of people, past and present, who make our lives possible.
Take a moment today to appreciate your own Web of Gratitude.
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"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." - Albert Einstein
