Detachment is sometimes thought of as a negative emotional state, and in some cases it is, especially when a person is unable to connect to or empathize with others. Yet detachment can also be part of a positive state of being when it allows you to be totally present with others without “taking on” their emotions. In this case, you can be both detached and empathetic.

Detachment from desire is a principal idealize in a number of religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, the Baha’i faith, and others. Each religion provides its own twist on the value of detachment, but all teach that detachment leads to freedom.

For surviving current world conditions in a healthy and productive way, detachment can prove to be a valuable skill. Detachment allows you to observe and evaluate current conditions then make conscious decisions as to what action you wish to take. Those decisions, will determine how well you thrive.

Practicing detachment when so many people are suffering takes concerted effort, yet by doing so, you can be a person who provides great comfort to others while enhancing your own mental and physical health and well-being. Detachment allows you to be in control of your life and gives you the freedom to make conscious, productive choices.

If you find it difficult to watch or read the news, if the actions of others disturb you, if you feel powerless when observing the suffering of others, then some detachment can be of value to you.

Watching the News – A Spiritual Exercise

I use television news and stories I read online as a spiritual exercise. By deciding to develop detachment, I know that I’m not my job to interfere with what’s going on, and by coming from a place of love and understanding I can see the drama that is playing out without taking it personally. If I feel a strong urge from deep within my being to act, then I will.

When encountering news stories about public figures with whom I disagree politically, first I observed my physical reaction, which might be contracted, that I take some deep breaths in order to bring myself into the present moment. Then I imagine a beam of love coming from my heart to theirs and try to remember that we are all one, and they are an aspect of me.

More than anything else, I try to see the biggest picture, understanding that we are all cells in the body of the planet which, at the current time, is struggling to heal from dis-ease. I can be part of the illness or part of the cure, and at the heart of the cure is love.

Additional Points to Ponder:

1. One of my favorite sayings is, “If one of us has to be uncomfortable, it doesn’t have to be me.” The corollary to this statement is, “No is a complete sentence.” This saying and its corollary allow me to clearly set boundaries and be present with someone without having to rescue or enable them.

2. Everyone has their own karma. It isn’t your responsibility to save them from their life lessons, which inevitably have a strengthening effect.

3. Whatever is happening is not good or bad. The situation is neutral, and you can view it as such or, in your mind, make it good or bad. Something may be uncomfortable, but that doesn’t make it bad. Often our greatest lessons come from periods of discomfort.

During the Teleclasses that are an intrinsic part of the Peace of Mind & Prosperity program, we often discuss detachment and ways to develop it without losing our ability to feel empathy and compassion for others.

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