You were inside and your father arrived with a Christmas package or a Sallah gift but you didn't thank him. And did you know why you didn't do it? It is because you are not trained to appreciate things. Sorry if I hurt you, I didn't mean it, I want to make a point.

Ingratitude is what Dale Carnegie called a weed and he called it a weed because weeds grow "naturally" but he also called gratitude a rose because roses need attention, constant watering and care to grow beautifully.

Now you get my point? The point I am trying to make? Maybe not yet but you are closer to understanding it. When your father arrived with that gift, it was not your fault that you didn't thank him because that act of not thanking him came naturally.

It happened out of your mind. If you had not trained yourself to appreciate things or learn to harbour a positive mindset, you will always have negative thinking all the time.

Listen, what I am saying in this line is that, when bad things come to your mind (and they do come often and by chance), it is your duty to move them off and be free. It is very difficult to move them off because when you allow them to stay, you feel satisfied. However, that satisfaction is called pain.

It is pain because you feel it badly and terror fills up your heart wanting you to burst but let me tell you, you are never ready to die yet. Are you? Why then are you nurturing pain?

Ingratitude is like a bad thought. Just as it comes into our heads automatically, so does the bad thought. To have a good thought or an attitude of gratification or gratitude, you have to work on your mind. Children are the most affected when it came to ingratitude due to the fact that their subconscious mind is still bigger than the conscious one.

And until they are trained, they cannot appreciate things if not they would have done it. Some do appreciate it, anyway and those are the trained or still being trained ones. That's why you should start to train your mind whenever bad thinking comes in. And let me tell you again that you train your mind for good thinking because, that way, you feel peaceful all the time.

When a friend had disappointed you, what you can do is assume he or she has not intended to do what he or she did. They may intend their action but if you want peace, just go ahead and cross off the bad thought that would be coming up and indeed it will come. Do say it is ok and well but never also wish him bad. Otherwise, you won't still find peace for yourself.

And to those who do good, we should lower our heads so that even when the bigger appreciation is not coming forth, we still will feel well. Upon doing it, we're in the best stance of feeling calm, happy and peaceful.

That is the meaning assigned to gratitude and ingratitude. But if we will live the pain of sincerity, we could always live a happy life.