Detachment is apathy

Feeling detached from the world is not the Spirit of Love but apathy. Spirit is attached to everyone through compassionate love.

Detachment is suppressing Love Generosity and all things good for Life.

The Buddha said to have compassion for all. and that generosity is important but the fake sort of Buddhism ignores the love part and focuses on the "detached" part - that detachment being towards greed ("desire") not the detachment of compassionate love Buddha and Jesus taught to have for all.

Why do so many ignore or avoid the generosity/love part but not the "zen" "dettached" or "one consciousness" part that is talked about so much . in new age spirituality nowadays?

a reply to: arpgme

Martha was attached. She worked her butt off while Mary just sat there meditating at Jesus feet, detached. Martha complained. She didn't understand. How could she? Martha was an active, not a contemplative.

It takes both kinds.

👣

a reply to: arpgme

You make "feeling detached from the world" sound like a bad thing. You should try it sometime, it's liberating!

While love seems universal, it will always take a back seat to the law of attraction. A species can reproduce without love, but if you've ever heard the phrase "I would rather die than marry you", you realize that some will go to great lengths to avoid someone there are not attracted to. Love only help generate positive outcomes to every situation.

Life without love or contact may add or take away a few years to your lifetime depending on the environment and there will always be that one girl/guy willing to make a baby with you if your standards are low enough, lol. Anyways, couldn't I purposefully seek out my own solitude while loving others just the same? What harm have I done?

All aside, a life without love can be very sad and lonely. I choose to love.

Now kids...

That's why I have a cat.

Hmmm, I am increasingly detached from the material world. I can't view that as a bad thing.

However, at the same time as I become decreased from the material, I become more emotionally preoccupied with the things I see. Things that never would have bothered me before can move me to tears now.

a reply to: arpgme

Souls are at different levels of spiritual awakening and souls that are on the same level have it easier to share experience. I have met a couple of empaths/psychics in my life and they are very different, than the people who have not started the journey yet.

If there is no reason for separations between different awakened souls, then why are not all the chosen/Buddhas/Siddhas here instead of on the other side of the veil?

How much pain must the ones who have achieved something more, endure for souls who take no responsability?

We have people who are constantly have been trying to make people learn spiritual tools, that have no dogma/religion attached and the faith driven (both religious and atheist) refuse to look into it, since it is not part of their view and culture and they are not interested in something that can be described as spiritual science instead of religion. Ridiculed as New Age or similar in some parts of the world, killed in other parts of the world for Witchcraft when they where trying to do something good for someone else.

I would argue that lack of attachment allows for equal compassion toward all things rather than the things you are are attached to.

originally posted by: Halfswede
I would argue that lack of attachment allows for equal compassion toward all things rather than the things you are are attached to.

Good point . I think Stockholm like syndrome to people who do not behave only enforces misbehavior.

originally posted by: Halfswede
I would argue that lack of attachment allows for equal compassion toward all things rather than the things you are are attached to.

This ^

I'm a huge proponent of apathy, because if people stopped attaching higher value to one thing more than others, we might live in a more successful egalitarian society.

a reply to: arpgme

Because the concept of real ''love'' has been all but removed from western society ideology.

''Apathy'' and ''detachment'' are taught, as learned behaviour and societal conditioning. It is possible to see through such conditioning and for the survival and flourishing of ''love'', ''empathy'' etc.

From the moment children are born they are manipulated by the government into not properly bonding with their parents and siblings, at school too early than is psychologically good for them, love, ethics and community cohesion are ignored completely in the education curriculum, greed and capitalism are promoted as 'the norm', electronic devices are promoted as pastimes instead of healthy living and safe places to play, the things fed to the impressionable via social media are not the substance of love and harmony but competition, selfishness, vanity, being irresponsible, immoral and of questionable ethics, etc.

If the values of love could be a priority then the world would be a better place on a more constructive path.

Okay, I think "detachment" can mean different things to people. What exactly are you being detached from? As ketsuko mentioned, one can become detached from the immediate object, yet become more attached to the things behind the object at the same time.

I think for some detachment means to emotionally cut off. Detachment can mean to cease mindlessly reacting to yet another. What sucks is when one person is attempting to convey a message, yet their choice of words doesn't properly transmit that message to a listener.

I often say that what has come to my mind since becoming sober as an adult is a "bubble of awareness". You could say I am detached from a feeling of need to prove myself, or mindlessly react. There's something within my psyche now that holds perspective, or perhaps insight would be a better word. I can appear emotionally detached to some, but this would not be a correct assessment. I am carefully weighing everything, and choosing where best to extend my energies, and how so to create the best impact on others. Sometimes that means not acting at all.

a reply to: arpgme

Detatchment is how those who cannot show feelings deal with reality, they create a fantasy that suits their selfish inability to empathise.

I personally despise apathetic people...Shallow, cold, false, and ultimately delusional.

They all need a slap.

a reply to: arpgme

Does the bible not teach to detach the spirit from the flesh?

I agree with you. It's amazing how cave dwellers and those that retreat to monasteries can still find time to reattach for a moment, at least so that they can be dogmatic about you, I, and whatever else they try run away from. Compassion is not found anywhere but around others. In the end, the ones they are attached to and compassionate for are themselves.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth
Here here! Well said

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

The Spirit is love and love cares about others otherwise it's just apathy.

No where in the bible does it say apathy/indifference/lukewarm comes from The Spirit.

Not everyone hears the same thing when you say "detachment". In some cases, they could be referring to being detached from themselves, their body, their emotions.... sometimes it means a sort of "running away" from reality and being active in it- which seems to be a coping reaction for people who just cannot handle the challenges life gives them.

I found there is another state, which I would call detachment, but that has the opposite effect- of grounding, of bringing you closer to reality, and in a positive way.

I would want to say, it is detachment from outcome- so that you get involved and active in influencing events, but able to remain stable no matter what the outcome. That is hard to explain, because the obvious question is- if you don't care what the outcome it, where or how do you find the motivation and energy to fuel action???

I don't know how to explain it other than, a love of the experience in the present, an enthousiasm for the effort or voyage, rather than desire to get to the destination.

I am trying to read a book by a Tibetan monk right now, that many people found extremely uplifting. For one, I do not identify with the beginning premise- that everyone is afraid and haunted by death. Every time I see this asserted, I feel like there is something wrong with me, because apparently "everyone" is different than me and there must be something wrong with me because I do not fear death. I am not suicidal, and am all for future experiences in this world, but if I suddenly croak right now and cease to exist, that is fine too! -and I don't have a belief in an afterlife to sustain that feeling. But perhaps some people need to place that deadline before them to create motivation- to live most intensely right now, before they get there. But it is certainly possible to live intensely right now without fear of it ending!

I'm going off on a tangent. What made me think of this book is the teachings of various spiritual "masters" of many disciplines, who talk a lot about detachment as key, and yet- they do not have wives, children... they spend their days praying in isolated places, or with other ascetics. To me that is no example. It is too easy. Who are they too tell those adventurous souls who dare to invest and incarnate into complex relationships on earth, how to do so?

The whole goal for incarnation on earth is to learn to hide away from it, and avoid getting involved in it? Seeing how many lives you can sustain isolation and remain pure for the next life of hiding? I am sorry to offend those who identify with that view, but I can't relate.

The real challenge is to get in there, relate, be interdependant, experience, and not have to use fear to protect yourself. To me that is compassion.

a reply to: arpgme
Overcome the world by realizing that the world is a concept.
You cannot come into direct conscious contact with an abstract thing (concept).
Concepts are what are appearing in mind - there is no peace when there is a juggling of concepts.

When there is a detachment from concepts there will be 'nothing' for you to attach to. That 'nothing' is peace.
Then the seeing of apparent others attaching, brings compassion.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

The whole goal for incarnation on earth is to learn to hide away from it, and avoid getting involved in it? Seeing how many lives you can sustain isolation and remain pure for the next life of hiding?

Not being attached to 'the world' is not about hiding away from it. It is about realizing what is real and what is merely abstraction.
If one is trying to mend the world then one will never have peace or compassion because the premise is that the world is flawed and can and should be mended by 'me' and everyone else. If that is ones life and reason for existence then it is a hellish condition to suffer - I feel great compassion for them.

What is experienced as life? Is it dissatisfaction with the way things are? Life is the sensation happening now and thoughts about how people should be attached or detached hide the peace that is beneath.

Something is needed to be unhappy - nothing is needed for one to be happy.

Can you attach yourself to this present moment that is arising as this? The feeling that is arising is the beloved right here but it goes unnoticed or is not wanted. The mind tells stories and makes the feeling of life feel not so good so you seek to find a better feeling by making up stories about how life would be better if everyone made the world better.

Where is 'everyone' and where is 'the world' right now? Just thoughts in your head making your experience of life feel horrible.

Life is sensational.
Mind stories running and believed hide the stillness.

That stillness is ever present but it gets overlooked.

Bull. You can be detached and be extremely motivated at the same time. Detachment can make you more efficient in the face of extremely stressful of disturbing situations.

The more detached I am, the more good I can accomplish. Why? Because the plight of humanity can cripple a person with feelings of being overwhelmed or sadness.

I disagree with the original post. Experiencing strong levels of empathy can become an extremely paralyzing thing, especially when you find yourself caught between the opposing views of different groups or individuals. Under such circumstances, the only fair thing to do is to clear yourself of all attachment to either side. Then, with that detachment in place, view each party individually, with unconditional love and acceptance and WITH ABSOLUTELY NO ATTACHMENT OR EVEN AWARENESS OF THE OTHER PARTY'S OPPOSING VIEWS, ARGUMENTS AND JUDGEMENTS. In my opinion detachment is an absolute necessity of unconditional love and any form of attachments COMPROMISES unconditional love, rather than enhancing it, making it relative to your level of attachment to that person or viewpoint.