Learning to detach

The previous post reminded me of a book I read a few years ago. Tuesdays with Morrie, a very interesting and meaningful book.

I remembered it mentioned something from the Buddhist philosophy that one should not cling to things, as everything that exists is impermanent. Thus, one should learn to detach. And lately, I have been able to associate this to quite a lot of occasions.

To take life for an example from the previous post. Sometimes, detaching yourself from life lets you break away from the routine and breathe and take a better look at life. And on the other angle of life, or death, being able to detach from life and remember that life is impermanent, one shall always appreciate life and prevent dying upset. Quoting from the book itself, 'When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.'

And to take relationships for an example. being able to detach from one another, brings less jealousy and more respect, resulting in a more healthy relationship. And in matters of money or possessions or physical comforts, being able to detach results in less greed and more love in the society.

The conclusion?

I just suddenly understood the Buddhist philosophy where everything that exists is impermanent. And that, when you are able to detach yourself from things in life, you have also successfully detached yourself from all the negative values in life.