The Treasure of Appreciation

Often do things pass us by, and often do we only pass a glance. What joy is there, living in such a shallow manner? That tends to be the default of our experiences, for the brain is ever-conserving the body's energy, often to our detriment. But hopeless we are not, as we can learn to become more attentive and thus more appreciative.

Appreciation is the full acknowledgement of an object, physical or otherwise, for its present or past benefits. When we acknowledge how an object has or does benefit us or something we care about, we perform appreciation. In order for appreciation to be valid, it must satisfy the following conditions:

1. The object must exist. As aforementioned, this need not be physical—it could be mental, social or spiritual. Existence is largely relative to one's experience, and so appreciation and it are subjective to that extent.
2. The appreciator must acknowledge the significance of the object, or what some would name 'meaning', to themself or something of their importance. Plenty of things in the world have some kind of meaning.
3. Particularly for non-physical or irreplaceable objects, the object must be unique to the appreciator. Its experience must be irreplicable. Naturally, no experience can be fully replicated, so this condition is checked.

To heighten your appreciation towards an object (and become more appreciative in general), ponder:

• Where or what would you or something you care about be were it not for the object? Suppose it never accompanied you or what you care about. How would have things been different?
• When did you or something you care about not have the object? Recall a time when the object was yet to present itself. How was it back then?
• How has it helped you or something you care about? This is basically acknowledging the benefits the object brought.
• What if the object was different? Suppose it was not as it is now. Would you feel the same way towards it as you do now?
• How would you feel if it permanently dissipated tomorrow? How would things be different?
• Acknowledge that, one day, it will disappear. One day, that object you appreciate will not be. Fear not: its inevitable perish will gift you abundant gratitude.
• Pay more heed. Look with your eyes, hear with your ears, feel with your essence. Reflect. Channel your whole attention to what you care about when you reasonably can.
• Keep a gratitude journal. There are multiple ways to handle a gratitude journal, and the topic is nuanced, so I recommend researching it yourself.

That is all. I appreciate you reading this.

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