Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the

PHILOSOPHIZING
ABOUT SAYING THANKS
By some 10th and 11th graders (Classes of ´15 and ´14)
Gabriel Ponce Botelho: If we lived in a culture of gratitude, with
mutual respect toward everyone, at every moment, there would
be no robbers, corrupt politicians, murderers and much more.
Victoria Cavalli and Gabriela Fonseca: Being thankful is one of
the best things human beings can be. When you are thankful for
something people start to see you with other eyes.
Matheus Coelho: When someone thanks me for something I've
done for her, I feel pleased and happy to see that I am doing good
and making people happy and pleased. The culture of gratitude is
very important because it represents respect and it is a way of
returning the good thing you have done for someone else. In my
case, when I receive a thank you, I feel pleased because when I
see people are happy for things that I have done, I become happy
too.
Valeria Cordeiro: Cicero said: “Gratitude is not only the greatest
of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
Kevin Dasilva: I believe that every culture should allow more
personal ways of showing gratitude, such as Brazilians with their
kissing on the cheeks. With all these closed cultures, people
become less motivated to go to other people for help in the sense
of forming a healthy and functioning society. If we were to become
physically more open, we would automatically become emotionally
and mentally more open and that would end many unnecessary
taboos that our society is debating.
Phillip Janin: Thank you is used a lot all over the world in different
languages When somebody tells you thank you for something you
did you feel great and you also feel great when a friend does
something for you in return and you thank them back
Bernardo Lacerda Jardin: In today’s society, saying thanks or
showing any gesture of gratefulness is becoming obsolete. People
are becoming more worried about themselves and sometimes, due
to pressure/stress from work, family and personal issues they can´t
be bothered to show an emotion of gratefulness or simply say
thanks. So society has adapted, in a sense. People don´t expect a
thanks or gesture of kindness anymore, and when they do get a
"thanks" from somebody else, they are usually surprised and don´t
answer anything, sometimes, just a simple "uhum.." in reply. Yet,
deep down inside, regardless of our 'corrupted' society, we are
humans and we feel good when someone thanks us for whatever
we´ve done. So yes, it is important to say thanks to others, at
least... if you believe in karma. What goes around, comes around.
Camila Roca: Hmm giving thanks... Well not everybody does that. But
when they do they must be definitely sure they changed somebody’s life.
When I get the chance to do something for someone I don’t do it because I
feel obligated to( just chores at home). I do it because I know in that
particular situation I can help. I can give a hand to someone. Sometimes
you work your heart out to do that thing and you don’t even get a little credit
for it. That is the time when you start to wonder if you should continue to
help that person or not. Also it makes you feel a little bit rejected, as if all
you did was for nothing. Of course when you choose to help someone you
can't expect something back. You do it because you want to. It is hard to
find a better sensation than when someone admires or compliments your
work or help. You start to feel good about yourself. You make sure to help
many others so that that experience happens again. You feel better,
relieved that you could and did help. When somebody thanks me I feel
happy, as it is a sincere confirmation that that person liked what you did. It
also prepares you to happily help, when that person needs you again.
Mariana Silva: When I receive a thank you I feel glad. I enjoy hearing this
word, because it makes me feel better about myself. This holiday is the
time to stop and reflect, to think about everything God gave us and give
thanks to him. It is the time that we do not think about superficial objects;
we give thanks to our family, friends, home, food, and our school.: In the
USA and Brazil people are very grateful: they say thanks easily as they
share what they have with each other. Every meal is coming together in
gratitude for those around the table. I feel very grateful to be able to help
my grandmother when she needs, especially when she is sick. Every time I
help her, giving her the right medicine or getting a cup of water for her she
says thank you and her thanks makes me feel useful at a certain moment.
I always help my sister with her homework and try to clear her doubts. She
listens to me, paying a lot attention to everything I say. After all I am her
sister and I have the job of helping her, but when she understands she
says thank you. This makes me feel important, because I helped someone
that I love and she was really grateful for that help.
Vinicius Araujo: I often feel very happy and grateful
when someone says "thanks" due to an action I did. I
feel useful. I usually help people in need, especially
elders. The reason for that is because I know that I'll
receive a "thank you" in exchange. It makes me better.
Sean Yoshikawa: I agree that saying "thank you" is
important. For me, to say "thank you" is not usual, so I
sometimes forget to say it. After that, I always regret it.
To say "thank you" can make someone feel happy and I
also can feel happy. This word almost never makes
anyone sad or angry. However, sometimes it is difficult
say this word. For example, I'm a little bit embarrassed
to say thank you to my parents.
Maria Carolina Oliveira: When someone thanks me for
something I feel good because I know I did something
good, and I did something that made a person thankful.
When I do something good to another person, I feel that
I made someone happy, and this feeling is very good. I
like to make and see people happy. That's why I’m
always trying to help others.
I think giving thanks is very Important because it is
respectful. When a person does something good to you
it means that the person likes you and wants to please
you, so you have to be thankful for that.
Giulia Ferrari: Yes, I am thankful to all the people that
made a difference in my life. It doesn't matter if it was a
positive or a negative difference. Either way they've
changed my life somehow. This difference has made me
the person I am, the decisions I take.
John Paul Cilenti: Giving thanks to someone is a good way of clearing
your conscience. It is a natural way of recognizing the actions of others.
Even if it is not to a person directly, for example giving thanks every night
for the food you have on the table and for having health and such, it is still a
way of being thankful for your well-being. It is because of somebody
somewhere in the world that the food is there: the tomatoes were picked by
someone, your pork was butchered by someone, the water was extracted
from somewhere.
Rafaela Garritano: I think that "thank you" is such a simple word and such
a meaningful one as well. It demonstrates the gratitude for something done,
and it shows how nice a person can be. I mean, there is really a big
difference between that one person that thanks you for doing him/her a
favor, and the one that just ignores you and turn their backs on you. The
one that is respectful will always gain people's attention, and be more likely
to succeed.
Laura Heringer: Showing you are grateful to someone is something you
should consider because besides being a gesture of politeness, it is a great
way of showing people their importance in your life. a simple "thank you"
may brighten somebody's day. This is why Thanksgiving is very important. it
is a special day to thank everyone you are grateful for, your dog, family,
maid, door man, everyone! It might seem a bit stupid but people rarely
remember to do these simple things. Happiness is enjoying the simple
things in life.
Selma Kuang: What do I feel when someone thanks me for something?
There are some people that don´t even thank you when you do them a
favor, even when it is a huge favor. But, when someone thanks me, I really
feel happy, and sometimes I smile knowing that I did something right.
Rodrigo Londres: Saying thanks to someone means that you actually do
appreciate what others do for you. Saying thanks helps recognize the nice
things others do, and it also makes others glad to hear someone thanking
them for their nice attitudes.
Camila Negreira: I see giving thanks as a way to
showing concern to someone. When you give thanks
you show the person that you appreciate what they did
for you, it does not matter what it was. When someone
thanks me for something I did, I feel like the person
likes me and wants me to know that what I did was
seen and appreciated. Giving thanks is important when
it is really honest, because it is a great feedback for
any kind of favor. It does not matter if the person
helped you in your homework or saved your life, a
thank you will be enough if truthful.
Leonardo da Silva Oliveira: When someone who is
doing a certain service receives thanks, he or she will
believe that his or her work is appreciated and thus
continuing to perform this job, only better and more
enthusiastically. The already improved service being
proved will satisfy yet another person, which will give
thanks. This cycle creates a culture of gratitude and
increases the level of happiness of the people involved
in it. Even though Thanksgiving Day was not initially
like it is nowadays, it is a holiday which reinforces and
revitalizes this cycle and culture, which require only
small actions but yield great rewards.
Gabriel Westerberg: Giving thanks to someone is
really good because the person you gave thanks to
feels good about what they did and they will probably
do more things for you. When someone thanks you for
doing something, you feel happy because you did
something good and you know that you were helpful. I
was educated by my parents and family to always give
thanks when people do something for me, whether it is
my sister or a waiter in a restaurant.
Paolo Amighetti: The idea of thanksgiving comes from
almost 600 years ago when the Pilgrims celebrated with
the native Indians the first year with plenty of food after a
successful harvest with their help. Thanksgiving has
become an important date for many people around the
word, especially for the Americans who use the holiday as
a major family gathering. For us in the twenty-first century,
thanksgiving is meant to be a day of reflection over our life
in general, but especially over the last year. It is the time
when we evaluate what we have accomplished and what
we have not. It is the time to make peace within ourselves
and with others, and to use this understanding to correct
wrong actions. It is also the time for making plans and
setting goals. Above all thanksgiving is when we open our
hearts and feel thankful for our family and friends, and for
having a good education and plenty of food.
Sara Lucia Hernandez Avila: Giving thanks to others is
essential to having a virtuous human existence. When
someone gives thanks, they are acknowledging that they
are not self-sufficient, how others are important in their
lives. Each human being has peculiar qualities that are
used to benefit others, even if they don’t realize it. When
people give them thanks they are able to see that they are
making a difference in the world. This shows how every
single individual is important in the system we live in.
Many times when things are taken for granted we tend to
forget to give thanks. We don’t realize their real value until
the day that we don’t have them anymore. That day we
will wish to go back to contemplate the splendid things we
had.
Alice Phipps: From the second we were able to speak, our parents have encouraged us (or
maybe in some cases even forced) to say thank you. As a child (and sometimes even
nowadays!), I used to hate saying thank you. What was the point? My aunts and mom's
friends already knew I liked their gifts, so why did I have you write a thank you card? Of
course, no matter how much I whined I still had to sit down and scribble on a card Thank you
Aunt Sue for the lovely blah blah blah I love it! or something along those lines. Now I have to
turn to my mom and give a thank you to her, for she taught me what the simple words thank
you can do. Thank you works along with its sibling please to teach children to show people
how grateful you are to have them. I like saying thank you now, because I say whenever I am
grateful for a sweet person who holds a door for me when my hands are full, or when your
brother takes his time to get up to get something you need. Saying the word thank you shows
your gratefulness towards the people you live around who, though they can be a pain at
times, make your life manageable with the little things they do. That is why thank you is such
a small phrase, and yet it means so much.
Luiza Osorio Guimarães da Silva: I think society nowadays has lost its ability and wish to
express gratitude. There are exceptions, of course, but I feel like most people take what good
they have in their lives for granted- family, friends, health, opportunities, everything. Don't get
me wrong; I know I do that too, sometimes. It's hard to remember to thank everyone around
you for everything you receive. I have to admit that sometimes receiving certain things from
certain people is so commonplace and so automatic that I don't even think to thank them
anymore. This is a terrible habit that I hope to change. I hope others can change it too. I know
how I feel when I take the time to do something for someone else and it doesn't even cross
their minds to say anything. Not a "thank you", or "I appreciate it". Nothing at all. Like I said
before, I can't exactly blame these people for what they forget to do- I forget it often enough.
What I can say, though, is that it hurts to not be acknowledged for what I've done. What
makes me sad is that others most likely feel the same way I do, but don't bother to change
their ways either. I feel happy and appreciated whenever someone thanks me, for whatever
it is I did for them. It's important to show gratitude- after all, it's the only way to show that you
appreciate what the person has done for you. Society would be much better if people
remembered to thank each other. I know I would prefer it that way.
Alessandra Sabra: Saying thanks is a way to make the other person recognize that you appreciate their actions. It doesn't
only make the person feel happy, but it also makes you feel grateful for the deeds the person is offering you. It's known as
good manners to thank people, for what they believe in, for what they are happy in having or receiving.
Pedro Pompeu and Luiza Baptista: When someone thanks me for something it makes me feel like I've done something important.
Everyone likes to be appreciated and saying thanks is a great way to show your appreciation. Those two words show that whatever you
did meant something to someone.
Raysa Bicalho Camara Santos: Whenever I help people a good feeling invades my heart, something tells me that I have
fulfilled my goal with that person. I believe that little actions have a huge impact on people's lives. Little by little, every time
someone thanks me, I gather this feeling and store it deep down in my heart. This is my secret to living happy.