A Sense of Security

When one is grateful for something too good for common thanks, writing is less unsatisfactory than speech--one does not, at least, hear how inadequate the words are.
- George Eliot

A homeless man who is offered a warm meal and a dry room will most likely be desperately grateful to take advantage of such an opportunity, for a lack of shelter goes against the sense of modern human necessity; what most people consider a basic right. Utilizing that room for one night would certainly be a pleasure, but on this man's mind will be whether or not he will have a room tomorrow or the next night. Odds are, this pleasure will be short lived.

You would think that with the ability to afford more, there would naturally come a corresponding and unwavering increase in our sense of appreciation, but is this the case for those fortunate enough to have in relation to those who have not? Security is the defining element. How secure we feel in our surroundings completely dictates how we respond to where we live and how we view the things we have.

Being homeless affords next to no security. You and your possessions are at the mercy of the environment. This is why a solitary room can mean so much while being so little. In contrast, being wealthy provides tremendous security. When, where and if there will be a home to go to in the evening is never a question. A wealthy man simply goes home and enjoys the fruits of his labor.

This is not to say that wealth breeds ingratitude--surely, anyone who has worked hard for what they have is grateful for the opportunity to achieve and provide for their families--but rather to point out the glaring dichotomy in appreciative sensations felt by those living at varying degrees of security. Money is nothing compared to a guaranteed sense of security, regardless of how this may be acquire.

Next to family, our homes provide the greatest sense of security we have. Ask anyone who has experienced a foreclosure what it is like to have that sense of security stripped away. The time from which a notice is given until the actual seizure of property can be years. In that time period, I cannot help but wonder what it must be like to come home every day knowing that the next day may very well be the last. 

When we are fortunate enough to have, saying "I am grateful" does not match being grateful; living and behaving gratefully. You may have the greatest sense of security in the world and your home may be a fortress, but you would be foolish to think that your security is impervious to the forces of nature and the principles of Karma.

No one is guaranteed security, thus giving us reason to be grateful every day for the safety we are granted.