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How Can You Be Grateful in an Unfair World?
Gratitude doesn’t mean approval. It means endurance.
Gavin Kemp
April 13, 2025
In partnership with
Welcome to Week 4 of The Shadow Side of Gratitude
Last week, we honoured the way grief and gratitude can coexist.
Now, we face something that challenges both: injustice.
How do you practice gratitude when the world feels cruel?
This week, we explore gratitude not as an escape—but as a quiet form of resistance.
Week-by-Week Progress Tracker
Week 1: When Gratitude Feels Forced (Past Issue)
Week 2: The Guilt of Wanting More (Past Issue)
Week 3: Gratitude & Grief – Thankful and Heartbroken (Past Issue)
Week 4: Gratitude in an Unfair World (You Are Here)
Week 5: Envy, Shame, and the Comparison Trap
Week 6: Holding Both – Rebuilding a Deeper Practice
Opening Reflection
There are days when the world feels unbearable.
You see injustice.
You feel powerless.
You’re angry and somewhere inside, you wonder:
“What good is gratitude in a world like this?”
This is the part of the gratitude journey no one talks about.
This Week’s Emotional Truth
Gratitude doesn’t mean looking away.
It doesn’t mean pretending the world is okay.
It means noticing what’s still worth protecting—so you have the strength to keep going.
When you feel helpless, gratitude is a protest.
It is a way to anchor yourself in what matters, so you don’t get swallowed by what’s broken.
How to Hold This
Journaling Method: The Anchor & Action List
In your journal, draw two columns.
Left Side: What keeps me grounded in a chaotic world?
List three things that remind you life is still worth showing up for.
Right Side: What small act of repair can I do this week?
List one or two things that are tiny, practical, and within reach.
A kindness.
A donation.
A conversation.
A boundary.
Your list doesn’t have to fix the world.
It just has to keep you tethered to your values.
Need a nudge? Here’s one way it might look on the page…
What keeps me grounded:
My niece’s laugh.
The tree outside my window that keeps growing.
The stories of people who keep helping, even quietly.
Small acts I can take:
Write to my MP about housing reform.
Help my neighbour with her shopping.
Take a news break and protect my nervous system.
The Reframe
Gratitude doesn’t mean approval.
It means refusing to become numb, give in, and stop caring.
Affirmation
“I see what’s wrong. I still choose to notice what’s right.
My gratitude is not ignorance. It is resistance.”
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Gratitude Gem
“Gratitude doesn’t mean everything is fine.
It means something is still worth fighting for.”
Call to Action
Don’t try to fix everything.
Just find one thing that keeps you steady and one thing you can still do.
That’s enough.
And it’s more powerful than it looks.
Until next week,
Gavin
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