The power of gratitude

Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living? Mahatma Gandhi

Finland celebrates every year on December 6 the Independence Day (in Finnish, Itsenäisyyspäivä; or in Swedish, Självständighetsdagen).

Independence day has a higher purpose than holiday, festivity, good food, songs, etc. Indeed, people know the actual value at the core of this holiday: gratitude.

We all know that cultivating gratitude in our daily lives is meaningful, practical, and beautiful. It can bring our attention into present life by experiencing the warmth of appreciation, which leads to love, compassion, peace, and joy. We start to notice and pay attention to the positive aspects of life, the beautiful things we gained, and move our focus away from harmful judgments. Once we try to visualize and understand what we are grateful for, it gives us the warm feeling of joy in the heart and gives us the powerful knowledge of having support from nature. Many studies have also shown us that practicing shifting our attention to gratitude in daily life can improve our overall well-being and health and increase happiness.

Therefore for all Finns and foreigners who live in this fantastic land of Finland, the independence day can be an excellent opportunity to start to bring our awareness to the beauty and power of appreciation and gratefulness. Find out the reasons for being grateful to live in a peaceful country and happily live together in peace and harmony. Share and exchange our good values with each other, thus enriching ourselves even more than before with fruitful cooperation and collaboration; This is indeed thriving and a Nation’s strength.

Let’s be grateful and celebrate independence day, which unites all of us living in the beautiful land of Finland with this sweet song: Maamme song and wishing everybody joyful moments on this special day.

Let’s celebrate and honor independence day by bringing the message of hope to our world, which is currently in uncertainty and hard times. As research finds and confirms, gratitude can help us through difficult times.

‘’It is precisely under crisis conditions when we have the most to gain by a grateful perspective on life. In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us cope with hard times.’’ Dr.Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis.

Thanks for spending time reading this article, genuinely grateful.