c. 2003 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) As a frequent speaker at corporate seminars, John O’Neil spent much time with bright young executives during the dot.com boom of the 1990s.

He remembers the “epidemic of hubris” that had spread around places like California’s high-tech Silicon Valley, the presumption of success without end.

Few were counting their blessings.

Today, O’Neil is struck by the attitudes of gratitude he encounters among many of those same people. They seem to be taking fewer things for granted. They are learning to be thankful for what they have. The biggest reason, he said, is that the dot.com bubble did finally burst.

“It was almost cathartic, almost required for a lot of these people,” said O’Neil, who heads the Center for Leadership Renewal in San Francisco and is coauthor, with the Rev. Alan Jones, of “Seasons of Grace: The Life-Giving Practice of Gratitude” (Wiley). “One hates to think about a bad economy as a good thing. But if it takes the air out of some of these false premises, then that’s good.”

With the economy supposedly on the rebound, there may be reason to wonder if the hubris of the 1990s is not far behind.

In any event, the business world is inviting a fresh round of reflection about the state of gratitude in America, especially among people who have the most to be grateful for.

As O’Neil has noticed, some are reconnecting with family, friends, and community, often through rituals such as grace before meals and the annual remembrances of Sept.11. They are nurturing a new appreciation of their world.

However, with Thanksgiving upon us, there are also new revelations about the dealings of some people who move America’s money and keep America’s books.

The latest spotlight is on the $7 trillion mutual funds industry, which is facing multiple investigations for abusive trading practices.

It was hardly a spirit of thanksgiving that led some fund managers to engage in a “fundamental betrayal of our nation’s investors,” as Securities and Exchange Commission chairman William Donaldson put it. No one would accuse these executives of being excessively grateful to their own shareholders, who reportedly lost billions of dollars in the past few years because of unethical short-term trading.

That said, some experts have pointed out that while people ought to be outraged, they should also understand that mutual funds have helped infinitely more families than they have hurt. Which is something to be grateful for (if it is true).

Beyond the latest corporate scandals, observers like O’Neil have noticed that many people in business feel they are “entitled to success, because they have this ticket called an M.B.A.,” as he put it.

The hubris has faded somewhat, but many still see their success as a result of their efforts and their efforts alone _ which is not an attitude of gratitude.

But not everyone points a special finger at the economic elite. That is because it is all too human to overlook the gifts that one has received.

“There is a temptation to take it all for granted, as if `I did it all myself,”’ said Paul Schervish, a sociologist and expert on philanthropy and spirituality who directs the Social Welfare Research Institute at Boston College.

But he is quick to add _ “It’s not just about the wealthy. It’s about all people.”

Still, there are some (arguably ungrateful) myths of success that have resurfaced in the public consciousness. And, many would agree that these myths are naturally more tempting to highly successful people.

One author and activist points to the revival of what he terms the “great man” theory of wealth creation. Basically, this is the I-did-it-all-myself way of looking at things.

“It’s hard to feel gratitude, if you don’t think that luck, God’s grace, other people’s work, society’s investment, inherited privilege _ if you don’t think all that had a lot to do with your good fortune,” said Chuck Collins, cofounder of Responsible Wealth, part of the Boston-based organization, United for a Fair Economy.

“But if you do recognize that this is an enormous part of individual success, then you can’t help but be grateful,” said Collins, who is coauthor, with William H. Gates Sr., of “Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes” (Beacon Press).

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He added, “I think we’re in trouble, because this mythology of success is so prevalent.”

Collins also believes the success ideology has driven much of the tax-cutting agenda, including repeal of the federal estate tax.

That is up for argument. At any rate, for his part, Schervish of Boston College does not see huge trouble on the horizon. He sees opportunity.

The ranks of wealth-holders in America have expanded markedly, he said. And the task at hand is for these people to learn and pass on the “spiritual secret of affluence,” as he styled it.

Essentially, this “secret” is that everything we have is a result of not only our own efforts, but also of luck, good fortune, and grace. In that same spirit, the misfortunes of others are not simply due to their lack of efforts. Schervish says (perhaps paradoxically) that nearly all wealth-holders know the secret. They understand that their success has come through “an interaction of gift and accomplishment,” he said.

At the same time, Schervish acknowledged, “It’s a tension. (This understanding) may be blunted by taking what you have for granted, and by feelings of guilt about your blessings and good fortune.”

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One question is whether this fledgling sense of gratitude will lead to vast generosity. Will the new rich step up to the philanthropic plate? Even through his optimistic lens, Schervish sees a mixed picture, so far.

In this sense, he and others are unsure if “giving” will become truly a part of “thanksgiving” among many of the most greatly blessed.

DEA END BOLE