While these are all wonderful gestures, they are but…
While these are all wonderful gestures, they are but expressions of an existing hakaras hatov, not hakaras hatov itself. Hakaras hatov means being cognizant of the good that was done.
— from The Air Traffic Controller (God)
In the book
How much better off am I now that it was? The grand gestures of thanks are only ever expressions of that underlying recognition, not the thing itself; our mother Leah, naming her son Yehudah, gave what the sages call the first true expression of gratitude in the world. We are told, plainly, to be more grateful and more forgiving than comes naturally — even to grant that we may have a positive duty to feel grateful at all. — The Air Traffic Controller (God)
Also belongs to
- The Instruments (Awareness/Perception/Expectations)
- The Relationship With Yourself (Traits/Reflection)