Picked up a book recently on the history of Europe from 1648 to 1815 (“Pursuit of Glory,” by Tim Blanning). It is a thick tome—more than 700 pages—and I cheerfully confess I did more skimming than aught else. Nonetheless I gleaned some interesting impressions.
First and foremost is a deep appreciation for how much easier life has gotten for human beings. On an intellectual level we all know this. Reading this level of detail about the everyday facets of life creates that awareness on an emotional level.
I never understood the extreme difficulties, dangers, and expense of travel (thus trade and communication) and its impact on daily life: One reason famines were so common was the difficulty of moving grain from areas of availability to areas of need. This difficulty was compounded by the slowness of communication (you had to know about it first before you could act), as well as the frequent lack of a central government with the power or ability to act. And in some of the most reprehensible cases, the lack of motivation to act.
Some of the dangers of travel were due to lack of infrastructure (poor or nonexistent roads—think trails or cowpaths—the roads of the Roman Empire were by far the exception and most have long since fallen into disrepair), or even rudimentary technology (ships might wait for days or weeks for favorable winds to sail). Other dangers were man-made (highwaymen), as well as many expenses (tariffs were popular and often every local authority would impose some fee or charge, so that even a journey of a few hundred miles could result in dozens of taxes).
As I read on and on, a deep sense of gratitude pervaded me. Just a few pages of the past created a wonderful understanding and awareness of how blessed most of us are, how many of our “difficulties” are relatively minor.
Many (I among them) believe that one real key to both happiness and a long life is an ongoing sense of appreciation for what does work in our lives, and greeting and living each day with an attitude of
gratitude.
I’ve been thinking a lot on this topic lately myself. Happiness is a choice that you have to make everyday and it is such an easy choice when you can look around and truly appreciate what you have.
Everything in life is a blessing. Regardless of how we choose to perceive the events, each has a purpose greater than itself. It’s easy to give thanks for the “good” things in life. But I would encourage everyone to be grateful for their hardships as well. These are the things that build character and strength, the things that teach us patience and love. It tests our faith, but ultimately it makes us better people.
There is a verse in the bible [Malachi 3:3] that says God will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. The Process of Refining Silver is a very intricate one. In refining silver, the refiner has to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The refiner has to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver is being refined. Not only does he have to sit there holding the silver, but he has to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it is in the fire. If the silver is left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
When a silversmith was asked, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”