Reading on Dictionary.com I learned that the idiom, “to take for granted,” has been around for a long time. Probably since as early as 1300 English society. The concept started out to mean that you properly did your research on something. You can imagine that English society was getting exposed to new concepts like Insurance, Legally binding contracts, and Title for Property. All of the things that we take for granted today! The meaning then was a good thing, it meant that you did your homework. You were so confidence that the policy would be issued in your favor that you took it as granted already.
The word grant alludes to truth, or admitting something is true. As a consequence over time the expression started to mean that you would consider something to be true without requiring any evidence. Almost the opposite of the original meaning. By the time the 1700s rolled around people were using this phrase to describe a person’s devotion to a religious concept without requiring any physical evidence. So take it for granted, was a kin to a concept of faith. The phrase quickly became a negative stigma, implying that someone was being irrational and leaping to conclusions without considering all the facts.
A few more hundred years rolled by and by the time we got to the 1800s the concept take for granted started to mean that a person could perform certain actions without being told or taught how to do so. Meaning, if you happened to be naturally really good at skateboarding, for example, a person could say that you take that for granted as they take yet another fall in their process of learning. The phrase become less popular until the 19th century.
Around this time the phrase become the way we say it now. “I am being taken for granted.” Another way you will hear it said is, something should “never be taken for granted.” The 19th century meaning was primarily around ideas being taken for granted. We take the holidays for granted, we take food and shelter for granted, we take our health for granted would be examples of that concept. Nowadays the meaning has become more about a person. You will hear someone say, you are taking me for granted, as a way to express that they are not being appreciated. When someone feels undervalued and feel that someone is ignoring them, then they will use this phrase to express that emotion.
So the modern context is what I am referring to this morning. Whenever we have time to reflect, one thing that we may want to reflect on is who in our lives might we be taking for granted? A spouse? A friend? A colleague? If someone is providing you a service, or helping you in some way, you might want to take a moment and reflect on that and think of how you can express or demonstrate your gratitude. We talk a lot about what we want to accomplish, improve on, or change but we do not talk enough about what got us to the point we are at in the first place. Think of what your life would be like if the people you take for granted were to just get sick of your lack of gratitude and bailed on you?
This is easily fixed, so do not worry. A simple note, a phone call, a well timed recognition is all that it takes. This morning I woke up thinking about who I was taking for granted in my life. I wrote down a list of several names. I aim to correct that this next holiday season.
Guy Reams
