By doing so, you will immediately see the effect," says Steindl-Rast, a former Thorpe lecturer and postdoctoral fellow at Cornell, winner of the American Book Award, the Martin Buber Award and a 2003 nominee for the prestigious Templeton Prize. "You practice gratefulness, for example, by simply making a daily mental list of what you are grateful for, of seeking opportunity for joy or kindness in any given moment and of practicing awareness to counter walking through life in a daze. The practice of gratefulness is simple and immediately effective, says Steindl-Rast, who two years ago founded a noncommercial, virtual community in more than 100 countries that shares ideas, essays, tips and dialogues about the investigation, practice and dissemination of gratefulness via. Whether it will sponsor seminars, practical community outreach, retreats or other activities will be determined by the students who become active. He said the Cornell initiative also includes a prototype for other campuses to follow, a middle school curriculum and scientific research to explore the efficacy of grateful practice with Cornell faculty. Back is working with Cornell students as well as a team of Park scholars at Ithaca College to produce a multimedia public awareness campaign to engender reflection on gratitude and to inspire beneficial personal, local and global outcomes. "The burgeoning field of positive psychology convincingly demonstrates that a reawakening of gratitude results in increased health and well-being, philanthropy, civic responsiveness and Earth stewardship," says Jonathan Back, Cornell '71, the CRESP gratefulness coordinator. Gratefulness, as defined by the project, "is the spontaneous response of every human heart to life, goodness, truth and beauty it is at the heart of every religion and spiritual tradition." ![]() The goal of the Gratefulness Project is to raise public awareness of the benefits of practicing gratefulness for personal growth and social change. ![]() in psychology from the University of Vienna, a world-renowned lecturer and author of many books, notably Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer (Paulist Press). ![]() It is an attitude and simple practice that builds on a virtue approved by every religion and organization," explains Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk with a Ph.D. "Gratefulness is more than being thankful. When the Cornell-affiliated Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) officially adopted the Gratefulness Project earlier this month, the university became the first campus to embrace the international nondenominational, apolitical, nonprofit program in character development. As pollution, terrorism, hunger, cruelty and poverty continue to challenge our world, a new initiative at Cornell University offers a simple strategy to buoy the spirit of the campus community and simultaneously to foster change in a troubled world.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |