One of the benefits of becoming older is that you tend to reflect on the events in your past and how they changed the direction of your life. This process is a good learning tool to analyze your life and its direction. I always thought I had tried to follow the principle of detachment- to avoid accumulating too many material possessions or following the pathways of lust and greed, in other words, to run away from the material world since it would pollute my soul. My approach was classical or black-and-white, which meant all or nothing. This is the path Sufis, Monks, Nuns, and Sadhus adopt. They attempt to reach higher planes of spirituality, renouncing the material world out of devotion in pursuit of spiritual happiness.
This Writing and others from different religions and philosophies motivated me on the path of detachment:
“Beware lest ye cling unto that which ye possess, or take pride in your fame and renown. That which behoveth you is to wholly detach yourselves from all that is in the heavens and on the earth.” -Baha’u’llah
As time passed, I re-evaluated my concept of detachment. By studying the Baha’i Writings, I realized a new way of approaching it. I was trying to detach, escape from reality, and take the easy way out by not facing life’s challenges. But really, detachment means living a responsible and productive life with all its demands and still being detached.
While taking inventory of my successes and failures, I discovered that my life had been steered positively and fruitfully. I realized that His mercy had guided my life for the better and, most of the time, against my better judgment and lack of cooperation. My approach to detachment was lopsided because I tried to be detached, but I didn’t know how to ensure that my spiritual journey was heading in the right direction.
Detachment implies that our inner being must be spiritual regardless of our material achievements. It means we should be unaffected by gains or losses and detached from blame or praise. It means detaching from selfish desires and our ego.
I reflected on extraordinarily tragic and painful events from my childhood up to today and asked myself how I managed to go through each painful and sad event. I could not think of any logical answer except for a feeling that an invisible force had aided and guided me throughout my life. I realized He had been with me all my life without my awareness, like a good Friend, a Father. He had chosen what was best for me.
I always thought detachment meant that while driving my car (a metaphor for my life) to my destination, I should not take my hands off the steering wheel even for a second, or I would crash and ruin the gift of life given to me by His mercy. My human duty now is to ensure the vehicle is well-maintained through meditation and service and following the spiritual Writings. I had forgotten that I always had a better Driver with me, One Who knew the road to my destination. All I had to do was to hand over the wheel to Him, leave the driving to a more experienced Driver with greater wisdom, knowledge, and skills, and enjoy the ride to my destination in peace and happiness. My life is in perfect Hands, in my Beloved’s Hands.
Badi Shams is a Baha’i and a mystic at heart and has an MA in economics; he has published “Economics of the Future” and “Economics of the Future Begins Today” and recently written the books “Random Thoughts of a Mystic Economist” and “Towards a New Spiritual Economic System.” You can find Badi’s website at badishams.com called “Baha’i Inspired Economics” He is retired from the education system.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking at https://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking
