Depreciation or Appreciation

Depreciation or Appreciation?

by Linda Heron Wind, Ph.D.

We know a lot about gratitude and how, as an attitude, it can change our lives. Appreciation may seem similar to gratitude but it is different in a couple of ways. First, appreciation arises out of understanding while gratitude does not require understanding, only feeling. Second, appreciation continues to grow as your understanding expands.

Let me give an example. I was recently talking to someone about the human body and how all the different systems work with each other. Each little part of each cell functions as a part of the whole, while it does its own specific job, and each organ system coordinates with the other. The more we talked the greater appreciation I had for my body. Of course, I also felt grateful that my body allows me to be here on Earth and it seems to work most of the time, but my deep appreciation grew out of understanding the complexities of its operation and the magnificent harmony with which it works. If I were to go and read more about the functioning of cells and the other body systems, my appreciation would deepen. Each time I contemplate all that my body and cells are doing in a given moment, my appreciation grows.

Another example would be when I am eating a meal and I consider all that it took to put that food on my plate. The seeds that were harvested and then planted, the crops that were tended, the hands that tended them, the harvesting and transportation of the crops to the store, the person who stocked them on the shelves, the hands that prepared them, the plate itself and where that came from, etc. The more I understand about what went into putting that food on my plate, the more I appreciate the food.

Again I am grateful for the food but that feeling can come without understanding.

In a way appreciation has to do with valuing something because you understand it in a way that gives you a window to its essence. For me to fully appreciate you, I need to understand you and all the parts of you that give meaning to your present form. Those parts dance around the essence of you and through knowing all parts of you I am given a window to your essence. When we share our dreams and visions, our successes and defeats, the parts we love and the parts we hate, the light and the shadow with each other, we can begin to appreciate the beauty and complexity of who we are.

Now in contrast with appreciation is depreciation. The word depreciation is often used in the context of money, as in when we buy something and it is immediately worth less money because it is not new anymore. The way that I am using depreciation is more in the sense of something losing value. The way that things become valueless to us is by our lack of understanding or even the desire to understand them. When we look at things on the surface and not into their depths, there is no understanding and little value. For example, I picked up an earthworm off the floor the other day and appreciated the work that it did in enriching the soil as well as the beauty of its aliveness and complexities of its systems. If I had looked only at its surface and that it was in a place that it was not suppose to be, I could not have appreciated it nearly as much.

Depreciation is rampant these days as we are lulled by the surface of life. When we cease to look deeply and understand what we encounter in our days, our lives themselves tend to lose their value and we sink into a depression that has been called the procession of the living dead. One of the main causes of depreciation is taking things for granted, not really seeing them or feeling a connection to them. Whether it is the people we pass each day or the things that serve us, we often are not aware of anything but the surface.

Of course, if we examined everything and everyone deeply every minute we would probably not get much else done, but that would be an extreme and it is balance that we seek. When we spend at least some time each day in appreciation, really getting to know the essence of people and things, our connection to life is so much richer. See how many things and people you can find a deep appreciation for today.

Depreciation
Life seems to lose its value
Depression results

Appreciation
Beauty is seen in each form
Connection results

If you have comments on these articles or ideas for future topics, call Linda Heron Wind at (585) 924-5620 or send e-mail to LHWind@aol.com.

Page last modified October 5, 2006 by RMC