At the heart of attachment lies our personality, what the Buddhists refer to as the desire nature. My friend Robert, a recent Buddhist Monk, works diligently to help me understand some insights about myself and to free me from harmful attachments. But we do not see eye-to-eye on some key points. Our primary difference is in the area of commitment.
I believe that commitment comes from the soul. In life, and human relationships, attachment closes down options; commitment opens them up. We have become a society of attachments and most people can't tell the difference. Quick self-check: if attachment leads to entrapment - what relationship do I have with my cell phone, computer, truck... etc? I am (bet you are too) attached to things. The maintenance of these things takes an ever-increasing amount of my time. Commitment leads to greater degrees of freedom. How is that, you ask?
Both involve in the moment an experience of holding something against the flow or standing against temptation. Attachment is that automatic reflex to hang on, which may not always reflect our deepest good. Commitment is a conscious choice to align ourselves with our most genuine values and our sense of purpose. In so doing I have freedom from what does not matter. Therein lies my freedom to be myself. Got commitment?
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