Detachment
Dear friends,
I teach stress management classes for government agencies and corporations around the world. What I teach is basically the Sanskrit term nishkam karma, which means “to act without desire for the fruit of the action.” Just strive to do the right thing each moment and the result will be the result.
Suppose you are skiing downhill, and trying to make a good time to the finish of the run. You of course have a goal, but if your attention is down the hill at the goal, you will miss what needs to be happening here and now right under your skis. The goal is there and in a part of your mind, but you are (or better be!) very present. This is why people like sports. The future and past do not exist. You are required to be here now.
Stress is pressing for a certain outcome, regretting the past, worrying about the future, wanting things to turn out a certain way, etc. As they say in school: Do the work and the grades will follow. So too with life.
Detachment is a subtle and interesting word. It is unfortunately too easy to confuse it with not caring. Detachment is not apathy. As always, a story may be helpful. (This takes place some time ago before GPS was common…)
I had finished a stress training for a group many years ago. A woman came up to me afterwards and said, “My boyfriend is great at what you teach. Why, just the other day we were driving — it was raining, it was nighttime, I was somewhat lost, I had a map next to me [remember maps?!]. I asked him to take it out and figure out where we were. He said, “Oh, that’s okay, I’m fine.” I said to her, “That’s not what I was talking about. Not helping others is not a sign of detachment.” I could have been much stronger, but it was her boyfriend after all!
One way to avoid the pains of this world is to close one’s heart. But not caring is not detachment. The goal is to be fully involved with both heart and mind, but to accept that we are not in charge of the universe. (We’re not? Who knew!) In fact, if we are truly detached, we are infinitely more able to hear that little quiet voice of Spirit that is our best guide. When we are truly open and detached we are more receptive to whatever Spirit has in store for us. It actually enables us to care more because we are less self-involved.
We are here to learn. Sometimes we learn best from what we think of initially as “failure.” May we do our best at all times and accept whatever outcome Spirit has in mind for us.
Blessings,
David G, manager
For the gang at East West