BY DEFINITION, ATTACHMENT IS THE MOST INTIMATE, DEEP, AND IMPORTANT EMOTIONAL RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HUMANS ESTABLISH. BY MARTHA ZURIA. GUEST COLUMNIST
Life is flow, movement, constant change. To flow with life means to be alive, but for that, it is necessary to fully commit to the here and now, where everything happens.
Much is said about the practice of detachment, of letting go, of releasing, but the dichotomous and deterministic ego often makes us think that this means distancing, breaking, not allowing ourselves, or not committing. Paradoxically, there lies the trap of attachment. It keeps us living in our minds, responding to fear, and not deeply immersed in reality.
DETACHMENT IS NOT ABOUT NOT VALUING THINGS, NOR ABOUT NOT ENJOYING THEM, NOR ABOUT NOT DEEPLY FALLING IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE.
Detachment is just the opposite. It’s about committing to life, love, and experiences in body and soul without clinging to the illusion of a future, understanding that everything is ephemeral, but precisely because of that, one must savor every moment to the fullest.
PHOTO. Tyler Nix
THE CHALLENGE OF DETACHMENT
Practicing detachment requires great courage, as it means challenging the ego’s worst fears, but once that initial fear is overcome, the reward is immense as it allows us to see reality clearly and build from it. Paradoxes are reconciled, as it’s proven that by feeling deeply and committing to life, one doesn’t suffer, even if one intensely experiences the full range of emotions but in control, in fullness that responds to learning and the color we give to our lives. Every emotion is loaded with teaching and wisdom, and detachment teaches us to value and listen to them.
Detachment makes us responsible by gifting us humility and perspective, while distancing us from the dreadful “guilt” stemming from expectation and fear. It allows us to act from love and not “for love,” thus giving us the gift of authenticity. It allows us to flow, seeing ourselves as part of something that transcends us and at the same time shapes us. There we find our treasures, there we find our true self.
