Human life, being full of emotions, has an important medium of communicating appreciation, as well as displeasure. Gratitude is an expression of appreciation towards someone who has caused a positive development in your life. Joy in this scenario plays the role of a medium that transcends language barriers, age differences, or even ideological mismatches.

In this essay, I would discuss how a simple expression of joy can convey gratitude but also help in motivating the well-wisher for further altruistic activities. I will take reference of temporal & sectoral scale with exemplification.

In ancient India, the society was plagued with torts of Brahmanism. The division of society into 4 Varnas when the bottom 2 varnas were discriminated against hampered development. The rise of Jainism and Buddhism was appreciated by the people who expressed their gratitude by joyously switching religions. This further promoted the rise of these religions – & spread to important neighboring countries.

The modern Indian society, suffering from colonial slavery, was at its tipping point and resorting to revolutionary activities. The rise of a truthful & a nonviolent leader saw the unification of masses. The gratitude for Gandhi’s involvement in the freedom struggle was seen in the form of mass participation by all classes of society.

An individual who is altruistic is fueled not by fame but the joy of the subjects of his altruistic activities. Bill Gates, the richest person, dedicates a large portion of his earnings to eradicate malnutrition similarly when Nelson Mandela was asked how did he feel after spending most asked how did he feel after spending most of his life behind bars, he replied. The greatest joy was to rise back and further the joy of his countrymen who successfully dismantled the apartheid govt.

Indian family system has been revered in the West for collective participation. The West where children are made to live by themselves completing 18 years of age is a stark contradiction to Indian parents supporting their children even in their mid-20s. Thousands of civil service aspirants are funded by their parents for whom the joy of their child in pursuing his dream is the only gratitude.

The society-government relationships can see their manifestation in people’s participation in government policies. A joyous society will increasingly provide voluntary labor, consumptive feedback, and help successful implementation of schemes. A similar example was seen in participation of people in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. As an expression of gratitude towards government efforts, the society participated in the largest behavioral change movement. This can be successfully seen since according to WHO, a household in an open defecation-free village saves 50,000 Rs. per year for payments of health-related issues.

The economy of the nation is seen as one of the important aspects of its path towards development. As such, investors depend on government policies to channelize their investment. India improved its rank from 133 to 77 in Ease of Doing Business ranking in the past 2 years. As an expression of gratitude towards these efforts India has also seen an increase in investor confidence. This was reflected by the increased FDIs that not only help economic growth but also inclusive development.

Discrimination against girl child was seen in the form of increased dropout rates after the launch of NREGA scheme. The mother now resorting to NREGA work was as a result the responsibility was entrusted to the eldest girl child. The efforts of government to provide child care institutions along with primary & secondary schools were rewarded with increased girl enrollment ratio now reaching ~99%. This simple expression will not only promote women empowerment but also lay the foundation for increased participation by women in economic activities.

The health sector in India has been largely imbalanced with the public sector facing a lack of infrastructure whereas the private sector facing low patient numbers due to high costs. The cost of this imbalance is paid by the common man who had no avenue to cater to his ills. The launch of Ayushman Bharat scheme has tried to solve this educational imbalance. The increasing participation of masses as well as private empanelled hospitals has made life joyous and morbidity-free masses.

India being a democratic country, the government is held accountable in politics by the public. This accountability manifests in the form of elections with people deciding their new facilitators. Gratitude towards government efforts can be seen in the form of political parties winning majority seats in the parliament. It is nothing but joy of public which gives expression to its gratitude.

Gujarat Doctrine was promoted by India to deal with its neighbors. This doctrine provided for an altruistic policy towards smaller countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. The doctrine was appreciated by all the countries. Bangladesh went on to become one of the largest trading partners of India in South Asia region. Bangladesh in turn not only helped India cur insurgency on its eastern & northeastern borders but has also been a supporter at multinational conferences like SAARC & UN –

Science and Technology has led to large-scale developments for the benefit of humans. Vaccines have helped tackle infectious diseases and increase life expectancy rates. There has been a dilemma between provisions of free vaccines vs providing them at suitable costs to promote R & D. A lot of sections in society have nothing but joy to express gratitude for this intervention. It is thus joy that has fueled the armistice funding along with funding along with government support for free provision of vaccines not only domestically but also internationally.

In a world world which is seen to be increasingly materialistic, humanity still persists. This humanity is not thirsty for capital gains or fame. Humanity is increasingly promoted by simple expressions of joy, thankfulness, and appreciation. People need to increasingly provide for these gestures as they overcome all barriers in modern communication. Joy, thus is the simplest form of gratitude.