The Death of Gratitude
Chris Chan
◆INFJ-A◆Aspiring Comedian◆Tattoo Artist◆ ◆#GoDownTheRabbitHole@theartofchan◆ ◆HelpingOthersDoCoolStuff◆Recovering Consultant◆
It's January 15, twenty plus days past Christmas and I've received thank you cards for ~10% of the gifts we sent out this year (primarily thinking about kids; don't really expect them from adults, but that's a topic for another day). How about you?
For our own kids, their thank you notes are long in the mail...with us requiring them to write most notes before they get to even play with their newly acquired playthings. But don't take this article as a case of "Look how much better I am as a parent than you are" -- I want to tie this to some massive cultural implications occurring in our society.
Lookism and the Rise of the Selfish Generation
As social media importance increases, so does the narcissistic attitude of the ME generation. "Look at me and how wonderful my life is." The more I think about ME, the less I think about YOU.
12 Steps to Happiness
A quick Google search for "Steps to Happiness" comes up with this image, courtesy of Management 3.0. Guess what the first item is!
The Rise of Preventable Disease
As issues with stress, anxiety, obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet, suicide are all on the rise; seems like one of the solutions is just to be a little bit more thankful in life.
I couldn't find any trend graphs related to "Thank You Card Distribution", but I'd imagine it to look something like the downward trending red line above. There is one bright spot: Millennials now account for the largest share of greeting card buyers. After years on the decline, sales of greeting cards have stabilized. Maybe that trend will transfer over from greeting cards to thank you cards and together we'll get a little healthier at the same time?
P.S. My Google searches also found these tips from parents in the Berkeley Parenting Network and gave me hope that kids still write thank you notes...but it's from 2000, so I guess times have changed a lot in the last 19 years!
Past Member-ISCEBS Governing Council
6 年Great Article that speaks to our diminishing manners. I was brought up where you thanked the person at the time of receiving the gift as well as sending a specialized note. Last year, I had mentioned to a relative that I was shocked that there was no acknowledgement from two young individuals whom received a gift from me at Christmas. It bothered me that these skills were not applied. My expectation (based on my upbringing) was to receive at least some form of acknowledgement. Mentioning this to a colleague they said, when you give a gift there shouldn't be an expectation to receive a thank you. Are we becoming too desensitized or removed from mutual respect?
Benefits Leader
6 年Chris, love your post! I am in your camp....hand written thank you notes are a must, in addition to live conversations --- no hiding behind social media to foster relationships!
Strategic Marketing and Business Development Executive achieving significant revenue growth, market share capture, and cross-selling opportunities. Expert in CRM and lead conversion.
6 年Thank you Chris and so spot on.? Get off your device!
Servant Leader, Healthcare Professional, Relationship Manager
6 年Chris your insights in the every-day are truly inspiring.? I couldn't agree with you more.? I recently sent a "thanks for being a friend" card because I couldn't find a Happy New Year's card to a former client contact of mine.? Nothing major or cheezy, just a note say, Hey friend, I thought about you today.? It inspired a phone call back saying I made his day!? Who knows where this leads but a simple gesture goes a long way.? I know I get that warm feeling inside when someone sends me a Holiday or Bday card!? Thank you cards are just plain good manners.? Old school that still works.? Thanks for the great article...