What am I or have I been attached to, and what does it look like to let go of those attachments? Here is a list of the attachments I can think of: outcomes I believe should take place, people, things, places, ideas, sports teams, the need to be right, the need to prove someone wrong, the way I react to situations, the situations themselves, certain behaviors, and the list could go on and on.
There is freedom in letting go of attachment. Take outcomes, for example. If I am not attached to an outcome in any given circumstance and I just allow things to unfold as they may, it frees me to enjoy the experience of life without disappointment. What kind of freedom could I experience if I were no longer attached to the need to be right or to make someone else wrong? I would be free to love and learn from others.
What about letting go of attachment to a place? If I were not attached to Rapid City, South Dakota, what other locations could I experience? If I no longer attach myself to the past or the future, can I enjoy the present more and possibly end some of my suffering?
How about my attachment to any physical thing? If it were lost, I would not feel sorrow or cause any real emotional response. What about my job? If I were not attached to one specific job, I would be free to explore something that could potentially be the job of my dreams.
What about people? If they moved or died, we might grieve for their absence, but it would not immobilize us. The grief would soon pass, and we could remember the things we loved about the person and not be attached to the sorrow.
To let go of attachment does not mean we are uncaring; it just means we will not let attachment hold us back from living and experiencing a joyful life.
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