Giving Thanks, Acting Gratitude

As we approach Thanksgiving in the US, it seems like a good time to revisit the idea of gratitude I wrote about during the most recent Ramadan. The relationship between “gratitude” and “thanks,” seems obvious. Although, as Joe points out in a comment on an earlier post, there is a difference. I think I hint at a way of understanding that difference when I say:

Gratitude, gratefulness, is more than the simple “thank you.” We have relations that are more than transactional. We rely on each other for so many things, and when we do not express gratitude for the things that others do for us daily to allow us to be who we are, then we reduce their humanity and ours. We become our jobs. To be grateful is to say to someone else that “I need(ed) you.”

So gratitude is about giving of ourselves. Thanksgiving, then, is a chance to give thanks, but also to be grateful and act out our gratitude. Read more here.

Job Postings

The KAICIID Dialogue Centre (King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue) was founded to enable, empower and encourage dialogue among followers of different religions and cultures around the world. Located in Vienna, the Centre is an independent, autonomous, international organisation, free of political or economic influence.

KAICIID, acting as a hub to facilitate interreligious and intercultural dialogue and understanding, will aim to further represent its mission through recruiting staff from different countries, cultures and religions, paying respect to necessity for gender balance and diversity.

If you have relevant background, skills and experience and are interested in working with us, please apply for a particular vacancy by sending your Curriculum Vitae and a motivation letter to recruitment@kaiciid.org indicating in the subject line, the position for which you are applying. A number of vacancies for specialist positions at the Centre are outlined below. Please click on a specific link to see the role specification.

All KAICIID staff should hold a university degree and be multi-lingual. While English is the main working language of the Centre, knowledge of one or more other major world languages is equally important.

KAICIID offers attractive conditions of employment, including 30 working days of annual leave per year. In addition to basic salary, additional benefits are limited to social security costs.

Fellows Programme Officer within the Programmes Department

Research Officer (Monitoring and Evaluation) within the Research Department