Non-Attachment

It seems like within each generation we consume more and more and in an unsustainable matter. Life has become very convenient for the consumer that we have forgotten that convenience comes with a price. One simple example that bothers the shit out of me is plastic water bottles. Side note: it takes at least 450 years for plastic to degrade so just use a fucking reusable bottle.

I think because of how much we have been mindlessly consuming, the term minimalism has risen recently. We have been seeing the concept of living a minimalist life all over the internet. Guides on how to get rid of the clutter in your life, encouraging you to donate most of the stuff you have that no longer inspire you or serve a purpose in your life. If you have never tried to clear things in your life, from clothes, furniture, even people in your life, then I highly encourage you to do so. Sometimes even the simple act of deleting pictures and songs from your phone can show you how much we are attached to superficial items that will not affect our lives.

We see millions of people wasting their lives doing jobs they hate, stuck in some office a third of their day just so they can afford to have 'nicer' things then they keep going in this cycle because they're never satisfied and they always want more and better stuff.

"Have a mind that is open to everything, and attached to nothing"

Being a minimalist has its benefits, but that's not exactly the same as non-attachment. I would say that those two concepts are related, but when it comes to non-attachment, you live a 'normal' life, you don't have to donate half of your stuff or live out of a backpack.

Non-attachment is a state of mind where you just have to let go of everything in your life. That does not mean you no longer care about these things, quite the opposite actually. You appreciate them more, realize that at a certain time they will be gone, and you are okay with that because you know that life moves on and that nothing lasts forever, therefore, you take it all in the way it is without any expectations, just appreciation.

Accepting your life in all its ways no matter how things are going and realizing that you can live without anything.  We often hear others and ourselves say things like, I can never live without my phone, a person in their lives, or as a vegan, I hear "cheese" a lot.

“Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

You know you are attached when you notice that your happiness is depending on that thing or person. Another sign is to see whether it brings you real joy or if it's something you keep wanting more of it without being satisfied. It's a freeing feeling to think of all the objects in your life and believing that you can happily live without any of them. Having this mindset allows you to adapt easily to any situation and be happy from within, not by external objects.