By ALYX GORMAN
I’m all for gratitude. Taking stock and saying ‘thanks’ for what you already have is pretty key to contentment. It’s right up there with having low expectations (that way, you’re more likely to be pleasantly surprised).
But there’s a trend in the #gratitude movement that really, really bothers me. And it’s probably all over an Instagram feed near you.
It’s saying you’re #blessed, or its more obnoxious big sister #soblessed.
Kim Kardashian being #blessed
Sure, at first glance, ‘blessed’ seems like a wholesome little nod to a life that’s been filled with good fortune (and if Jessica Alba and all the #blessed Victoria’s Secret Angels have had more than their fill of anything, it’s good fortune). But dig a little deeper and you come up with a problem.
You see, ‘blessed’ means something different from say ‘lucky’ or ‘privileged’. There’s a spiritual dimension to ‘blessed’. Saying you’re ‘blessed’ implies that the hand of the lord reached down from the heavens and tapped you for good things. ‘Blessed’ implies there’s a reason why your life has been good. And it’s not talent. It’s not looks. It’s not something you’ve done. Just some divine seal of approval.
The flip side to being blessed is that those who aren’t #blessed, those who are struggling are what… Undeserving? Cursed?
Miranda Kerr being #blessed
If you say you’re lucky, you’re acknowledging a truth about the world. That it’s sometimes unfair, but in this instance, you won.