Mystic Mantra: Why we should let go of our attachments

We are lost in a world of delusion and attachment, too caught up to reflect upon the words of wiser souls. Instead of comparing ourselves constantly with “the haves” and feeling somehow cheated and deprived, it would do us a world of good to weigh our good fortunes against those who have little. “Life has meaning,” as Robert Browning reminds us, and “to find its meaning is my meat and drink.” These happy people are like Mitya in The Brothers Karamazov, “One of those who don’t want millions, but an answer to his questions.” We see hordes of people who seem to have it all — money, fame, houses and cars, yet who are miserable at heart, whose lives are devoid of the peace and contentment that all this was expected to bring. Fyodor Dostoyevsky emphasised the same point: “Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.” Happiness has to be cultivated in our hearts and minds. John Rockefeller reiterates these same values: “The road to happiness lies in two simple principles… find what it is that interests you and you can do well, and when you find it, put your whole soul into it, every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.” To pursue the happiness within our reach, we must do our best to pour ourselves into faith, family, community and meaningful work.