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"Gratitude" vs "Indebtedness" -- What is the difference? How would you explain the two in real life emotional examples? (more info in description)
"Gratitude" is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. "Indebtedness" is synonymous with gratitude, in the feeling of owing gratitude for a service or favor. With these two definitions in mind, think about the nuances between someone feeling "Gratitude" and someone feeling "Indebtedness" and how those differ emotionally. Then write what you come up with. Could be in poem format, or prose, doesn't matter, as long as you're focusing on sharing your perspective of how the two differ as someone experiencing them. // RULES // 1) Stay on topic. 2) Be clear about your perspective. 3) AFTER submitting yours, read and comment on at least 1 other entry-- do you share their view, did you enjoy how they wrote it? etc. [Obviously, if you're the first, you'll have to wait for another entry.] //CHOOSING A WINNER // a) Did they follow the rules? b) Was it an immersive read? c) Did it nail the nuances of feeling grateful vs indebted?

Gratitude and debt

Gratitude is the purest form of happiness. Letting the rays of someone else's love warm your face, or simply enjoying a twist of good fortune as it elevates your spirit. Gratitude requires nothing, costs nothing, and imbues the soul with joy. Gratitude is the feeling that poured over me when I saw my son's face for the first time, and I knew that we would both be all right. Nothing to repay - just the sense that I had been given an immeasurable gift.

Indebtedness is when the ink of guilt seeps into your gratitude, stains it darkly and drains it of joy. The pang of seeing one's own good fortune in stark contrast against the scarcity of others. Perhaps the receipt of a gift that came at too high a price. Or an unspoken loan with too steep of interest to ever truly be repaid. Often we are afflicted with it unintentionally - not through the will of others, but by our own demons. I was given a gift from my earliest youth, one that I can never repay. It has only been in recent days that I realized that I was never asked to. A gift is given freely, and cannot come with debt. Indebtedness is the torture of the mind that has not learned to accept freely, and simply love in return.

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