What If Gratitude Was a Form of Resistance?

Why Waking Up Feeling Good Might Be the Start of Changing Everything

It’s 5am. I Feel Good. And That’s Not Nothing.

It’s early. The kind of early where the light is soft and the city is still asleep. I’ve just made a bowl of thick yoghurt with seeded muesli and fresh, juicy mango — the kind of mango so orange it almost glows. That colour always lifts something inside me. I take a spoonful and pause. I feel good. In my body. In my head.

That’s not always the case.

Some mornings you wake up with a headache. Or anxiety. Or grief. Or the weight of too much news. But today isn’t one of those mornings. And I’m reminded that feeling good is not a given. It’s a gift. One we forget to honour.

The World Is On Fire. And Somehow, Breakfast Still Matters.

While I sit with this mango, I can’t help but think of the world around me. War in Ukraine. In Gaza. Entire communities waking up to bombs, not birdsong. The ongoing betrayal of people and planet in the name of “progress”. The poisoned air we breathe without protest. The lies that built our modern world, now collapsing under the weight of climate change, inequality, and disillusion.

How did we normalise so much destruction?

Why do we walk through polluted streets and call it life?

Why do we live in a world where it feels radical to breathe clean air, or eat real food, or age in peace?

Disinformation, Despair… and Defiance

This morning, I read the words of a woman online:
"I’m tired of fighting aging when I’m not even sure I’ll be able to grow old on this planet."

It hit me like truth often does — sharp and real.

We’re living in a paradox. Social media spreads lies at lightning speed, yet it’s also become the loudest megaphone for truth we’ve ever had. More people are speaking up. Rallying. Protesting. Organising. Refusing to accept the status quo as immovable. That’s not nothing either.

The System Is Designed to Numb Us. Gratitude Wakes Us Up.

Walk down any street in London and breathe in the fumes. That’s not normal — but we treat it as if it is.

Because it’s easier not to question the system that shapes our lives.
Because challenging it takes energy.
Because sometimes, just getting through the day is enough.

But what if feeling grateful — for your breath, your food, your body — isn’t just a nice thought?
What if it’s a rebellious act?
A reminder that life can be vibrant — and should be.

Prevention Is Not Humanity’s Strength. But Rising Is.

We’re terrible at acting before crisis hits.
But we’re brilliant at rising from the ashes.

Still, what if we didn’t wait?
What if we used the days we feel good as fuel to change what makes life bad for others?

This morning, I have energy.
And that energy is a responsibility.
To imagine the world I want to live in.
To protect what’s beautiful.
To question what’s broken.
To act while I still can.

Ask Yourself: What’s Worth Fighting For Before You Lose It?

Gratitude, real gratitude, doesn’t ignore the world’s pain — it helps you remember what’s at stake. It roots you. It fuels you. And it reminds you of what you’re here to do.

So if you wake up tomorrow and feel alive, ask yourself:
What kind of world do I want to wake up in?
And what am I willing to do to make it real?

Because we don’t have to wait for catastrophe to care.
We can act from love, not just loss.
And that might just change everything.