On Mindfulness

Today I would like to dwell on a subject of attachment- this invisible but powerful connection we have with ideas, thoughts, stories, people… Attachment is a kind of mental glue that holds us joined with something or somebody so close that we seem to be one. We can’t imagine separation.

I was once a witness to an instruction that a young man gave to his young wife; it was about how to cut onion. He wanted his onion being cut exactly the way his mother did, because it was the only correct and perfect way. I saw tears in the eyes of his wife and I was sure that they were not caused by the fumes of the infamous onion. I don’t know if they are still married, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were not.

We can be attached to a way we hang toilet paper or fold towels in the bathroom. We can be attached to a way we eat our beef or that we don’t eat it at all. We can develop attachment to political ideas, cultural trends or our identity…

Power of attachment is felt when we are put to test and presented with a different way, a different possibility and another point of view. In such moments we could allow for this different perspective, but it means that we have to detach ourselves; we have to take a step back, loosen the connection, get unstuck, open the grip, and accept another way of “cutting onion” if only for a second. A lot of energy is locked, consumed and even wasted in unnecessary attachments. This energy could be used differently and creatively. Meditation is a great space for doing it, for melting hardened attachment gently and benevolently approaching other possibilities with love.

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1 thought on “On Mindfulness”

  1. Thanks Izabela for this interesting post. It's true that we all spend too much time on silly little things whilst missing out on the important parts of life.

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