In talking with child and adult philosophers about the importance of developing empathy, of maintaining a compassionate nature, we spend a considereable amount of time trying to uncover why empathetic identification with others doesn't come more easily. Gradually, what we realize is that without keen awareness of gratitude for one's own life, the door to the pure feeling of compassion will remain locked. This is a powerful revelation and a jolting reminder of the reasons we have to be full of thanks.

Adults and children thrive on writing about the things for which they are grateful, things that may have been heedlessly overlooked: health, opportunities, a library or park nearby, the chance to play and laugh, breaks that came their way through the generosity of others - people they may never know. As gratitude replaces whiffs of self-entitlement and self-importance, the path is paved to merge with the lives of others. Grateful for my life, very little separates mine from yours.