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Passion and Detachment - Can they coexist?

Passion and Detachment: Existing together - well, this may seem to be a paradox, and self contradictory in its true essence. Obvious question will be how can we be not attached to something we are passionate about. It is but natural, and some feel that is how it should be. Before going into this question in details, let us try to understand in what terms we are using Passion and Detachment here. Passion is something that you really want to do from your heart, it is something that you would love getting possessed with, something whose mere thought gives you a high. Detachment means not to get attached with things, to separate oneself from one’s activities and not get bogged down by its success or failure. Detachment basically means to maintain a spectator like attitude in life. Now, the million dollar question is - can we be passionate about something, yet remain detached to it? But before this question comes, we have another question in hand - Do we really need to be detached from our passion?

Both, passion and detachment look like two sides of a coin, which cannot seem to exist together on one plane. But this simile is wrong, in fact passion and detachment are like two lines of the same track. They have to go hand in hand. If one of them ends, the train of life cannot run on it altogether. Well, that may be a very strong statement, and I hear many people saying that through one’s passion only, one can attain everything. But is attaining what we want, our goal; and even if we attain it, then it is at what cost?

The answer lies in the same old phrase of Gita: ” Keep doing Karma, without worrying about the result”. This statement beautifully simplifies the fact that we have to keep doing our duties with full reverence and passion, and yet remain unattached with it, by not expecting the results. I again hear the words of those passionate people, as they are so much driven by their goals, and the attainment of definite milestones. Is their a real way that we can be passionate about something, and yet remain detached to it, and do we really need to do this. The answer is big “Yes”. Though we can make ourselves possessed with our passions, but deep down within us, we should not forget about the transient nature of this life. Those who have seen death closely, will be able to relate to this fact easily.

Remaining detached from our passion is a difficult thing to do, as it becomes natural to become attached to things which we like. But we have to practice to do things with full vigour, still remain neutral towards it from inside.  Passion begets purpose in life, and purpose is like the branch of a tree, with which we can cling on to and hence direct our daily chores and routine. A purpose driven life is always better than a purpose - less life, hence it is very important to identify our passions in life. We have to keep on working on our passions with utmost sincerity and earnestness, then only we can create a platform for us to produce results. Though we can create the platform for results, but we should not be over - awed or over- tempted by these results. Our scope is to just do it, and revel in the process of doing it. Detachment teaches us the lesson of enjoying the process of means, and not only the ends.Every moment of our life has to be an anecdote, which should be the very epitome of bliss and enthusiasm.

Once we detach ourselves from everything we do ( yet remaining passionate about it ), then we can really feel the bliss in all our activities, then we dont do things not for the sake of doing it; rather we do it, because we know it is the result of divine intervention, it is then that our endeavors do not produce the side effects of give and take account, it is then that we enjoy the process, it is then that we know what we are really doing and why we are doing it, it is then that we can take ourselves to the higher plane of observance, it is then that we start connecting the eventual chords, it is then that we know why we are really passionate about our passion.