Wearing Attachments

Imagine having a very stylish jacket with one very irritating feature. This one thing (one stress causing attribute) is that the jacket is full of little grappling hooks (just like the one in the picture).

The only thing that gets caught in the hooks of the jacket are ideas and concepts. Not every and any idea. Only the ones that you identify with to the point of confusing them with your very identity. In other words, ideas like race, culture, religion, nationality, status, and the like, are the types of things that get caught in theses hooks. These ideas are the kind people more often than not, confuse with their very identity.

Whatever gets caught in the hooks, will be defended by the person wearing them as if they were defending their very lives. As a result, these attachments will inevitably bring pain and suffering to the wearer. When the ideas are questioned, threatened, disproved, or shown to be irrelevant, great amounts of stress are experienced by the person attached to them.

On the road of life, these attachments we wear often bog us down and get snagged on other things along the way. They can be looked at as both a gift and a curse though. When we are aware of these facts, they are a gift in that they are excellent reminders and can help us measure how attached we are to certain things in our lives. When we are unaware of them, they are the cause of an endless stream of stress. Paradoxically, this stream of stress will help us become aware of attachments and put an end to the cycle. In either case, these hindrances to our peace of mind only help us to move closer toward that peace once recognized.

A big attachment (like a romantic relationship or a source of money) can sometimes work as a wake up call once the hook it hangs on comes under pressure. It's like the attachment gets snagged on an immovable object. Either you get stuck where you are along with this outdated idea and suffer from the lack of progress you are making or suffer the temporary growing pain of freeing yourself of the idea and move on.

Accepting attachments in order to free yourself of them is a process I am becoming more familiar with and starting to get really good at. I was blessed with certain life situations that helped me realize I had some attachments left when I thought I had none. At first, it seemed like a curse. Stepping back a bit, it is easy to see the gift I have been given.

9 comments:

Liara Covert said...

Detaching from what the ego mind thinks is important and necessary brings you to deeper conscious awareness of what really is.

Val said...

Attachment....

So many life lessons to be learned through learning of and then letting go of things/ideas/people to which we are attached...

Great post. Thank you.

C. Om said...

*Liara
True indeed. Awesome insight.

*Val
Thanks Val.
I'm still learning some lessons, but since I can see what's happening, I get to enjoy the ride a little more.:)

bometernally said...

Another mind bending or freeing post C.Om. So when you say accepting attachments in order to free yourself of them..., I gather you mean adapt2whatis so that you can be free. Is that correct?

Thanks for making the post interesting and shedding some more light of your insight.

molly said...

Really love the analogy with the hooks. Great post. And great reminder. Thanks for sharing your beautiful insights, once again!

Molly

Mark said...

This is a great analogy. When we realize that we can let go of these hooks whenever we desire to then we realize the true meaning of freedom.

Walt said...

Yeah man, I've been dropping hooks like Tyson as of recently. The thing about the hooks themselves is that they are heavy as hell! Another thing is that it seems that for most of us we all have one hook that connects us all: our shared "reality". Oh the things we will accomplish as we unhook ourselves from it. Recessions would not exist if a lot of us did not have one hook in common!

C. Om said...

*bometernally
You are definitely correct! Thanks for the love. :-)

*molly
Thank you Molly, I appreciate your appreciation.

*Mark
True indeed! Thank you!

*Walt
How right you are! The recession is an excellent example of a hook people share collectively. Unhooking from the illusion is happening on larger scales now though. It's a great thing to watch.

Thanks for the insight Walt!

Liara Covert said...

C.Om, the truth is what every energy being senses intuitively. As you gradually eliminate fear and doubt, you move from the level of believing to the certainty of knowing. Change is only ever temporarily disorienting. After all, impermanence is just as predictable as unwavering love. To accept self is always within reach.