30-May-12 Detachment versus enthusiasm, can we have both?

This coming Wednesday, we are discussing detachment from our emotions and passions as a strategy to handle suffering and pain that we experience in life.

Buddha is said to have been surprised as a young prince of the sickness and death he saw outside his palace and later on concluded that suffering is an inescapable part of life.  His advice is to be detached from our  emotional reaction to suffering and pain to handle this inevitable part of our life.

The Greek stoics also counsels that we should follow reason and strive to be free of "the passions", so that we will not be affected by the negative things that happen in life out of our control.

So now that we are detached and free of the passions, what motivates us? Do we just sit back and watch the world go by?

While both approaches seems to be aimed at handling the negative things we face in life, one can't help but feel that these two approaches are also at the expense of cutting back on one's ability to be fully engaged with all that is available in life and be enthusiastic in whatever one undertakes.

So, the questions is: Can we be detached and engaged?  If not, can we be selectively detached for the bad times and fully engaged in the good times?

How do we know when to be detached and when to be fully engaged?

Maybe it is a risk taking venture,  we need to risk disappointment and suffering in order to have life sustaining feeling of achievement and pleasure? Kind of a gamble or lottery?

Suffering may be unavoidable,  but perhaps joy is also achievable if we engage and keep trying?

Optimism may be the other perspective.  Why do we see suffering and pain as the final defeat of an endeavor rather than a temporary setback on the road to a higher achievement and reward?

Just like how mutual funds can always make their fund performance look good by picking the beginning and end of the measuring period for the performance of their funds,  our assessment of our life situation depends on when we do the assessment.

Do it at the depth of despair and life is truly miserable.  Review life after a significant achievement and things cannot be better.

Maybe the so call inevitable suffering is a learning opportunity for one to improve on one's tactics, skills and approaches.  After all, no one scores a success at the first try with any worthwhile challenge,  it generally follows after a few smaller failures that let us hone our skills.

What doesn't kill us makes us strong.  Is it not all in how we look at it?

If it does kill us, then we are not around to care!

Detachment or enthusiasm,  let's hear your choice at the coming Wednesday discussion!