45- Crossing past Mid-way of Life and it's learnings..- Attachment & Detachment.

Yes.   Another year has passed and its my birthday again.  Well every year that passes by teaches me something but 2020 has taught a lot more than just another year and we all know why.

While 2020 was all about chaos , anxiety and distress, it was also about getting to know your self, your priorities and what matters in life.  In retrospect, one important aspect that I have been able to learn is the clarity of Attachment & Detachment and I think I should take this opportunity to share it with everyone.  

Let me put it simple. We all  are getting attached to things & people without our knowledge.  See below.

Attachment to your Things:

You own a Bike. You like it, feel possessive. Take good care of it. Attachment is getting yourself handcuffed to its steering 24 X 7.

Attachment to your persons:

You are in love with your spouse. Attachment is when you both get physically tied by unbreakable rope, facing each other 24 X 7. Neither anyone has free space nor can they see anybody else.

Attachment to your actions:

You helped somebody. You felt what you did was right. Attachment is expecting repayment for your good deed 24 X 7, from the same person (consciously or subconsciously)

Attachment to your achievements:

You studied hard. You got the best marks. People congratulate you. Attachment is to expect the same appreciation  24 X 7 in the other walks of life.

Attachment to your thoughts:

You have read Paulo Coelho, and other similar thought leaders. You are convinced that that is the way. Attachment is to use brutal force on yourself to implement it.

Our Body gives us attachment & Our soul gives us detachment. Attachment is the dance of our outer pleasure & Detachment is the song of our inner joy. 

Too difficult.   Let me tell you something very basic but interesting.  When scientists began thinking of sending rockets to space, the first problem they found was how to get beyond the pull of the earth’s gravity. A rocket had to build up a speed of twenty-five thousand miles per hour to escape this force of Gravity and to attain this speed, an ordinary rocket would have to be so large that its weight would never allow it to escape the pull of gravity.  Catch 22 situation. Larger the rocket, more force needed,  More force means more fuel means larger the rocket.

Scientists finally came up with the idea of a multistage rocket, with one or more independent boosters attached. Each booster holds fuel, which it burns in one great leap upward. As soon as its fuel is expended, its job is done and the booster is dropped, freeing the spacecraft from the burden of its great weight.

Similarly, exploring inner space confronts us with a similar problem. The pull of objects and experiences outside us, the attraction of the physical world, even memories, anxieties, plans, and so on makes it so difficult for our inner upliftment.

This attraction is only natural, and there is nothing wrong in it same as gravity which is natural too. When we want more: new worlds to explore, a higher reality. Then we discover that the pull of our body, our senses, prevent us from reaching those heights.

To rise above this pull, we have to build up a great deal of momentum. Just as in launching a rocket, immense power is required. But where are we to get such power? Space scientists can experiment with explosive mixtures such as liquid hydrogen and oxygen, but what do we use as human beings? The answer is, the power that drives a human being is desire. Our desires are our fuel.

Detachment does not mean to quit talking to people or being a sociopath. nor does it mean to ditch a smart phone for Nokia 1100 just because you feel attached to Smartphone.

Detachment is, to know how much to utilize which thing in our lives, to know the priorities right, to have self control  from checking Facebook/Whatsapp/Twitter/any other clutter every 5mins, to give away temptations over other useful things that matter in your life, to realize that you are not what others tell you to be – that you are unique, to be strong enough to live, not to appease the society but to your own self, to be in midst of a chaotic crowd and yet be able to listen to our own mind, to realize that the key to your emotions is you and others, to learn to accept and grow from the past – to let it go, and shun the fears of future and work in the present.

What happens around isn’t in your control, what others do isn’t in your control, what others think of you isn’t in your control, what comes in future isn’t in your control, what happened in the past isn’t in your control but All that you have control over is only yourself. 

It is only you who can choose how you react to a situation, how you feel, work on it continuously to improve your thoughts, feelings and actions. Surround yourself with those who enable you than with those who disable you. Happiness is not dependent on what you have or whom you have, but only dependent on your willingness to be happy with what you have.

I had a great birthday today with a toucy blog from my daughter and exciting gift and celebrations from family & friends.  Truly feel blessed. 

Until next time.. Adios..