Detachment

"We can' t sleep many nights when the cats from the neighbouring villa keep making loud noice throughout night. The yard smells cat urine.  Cat's potty in our compound, and there is shit at times on the lid of water tank. This is an everyday affair.Further, pigeons are discretely being fed every morning from the terrace. The pigeons perch on the rain drains on the roof defiling them. This is beyond what one can tolerate. If association cannot take action to implement villa rules there is no point in being a member of it. I expect strict action from the secretary including if necessary legal action. I need to also flag up the fact that my wife a post transplant patient and any zoonotic infection is life threatening." was the complaint from the neighbor.

 

Apt the reply was "Now that this “Shit” has come out, let us understand some facts here too about Villa no 8. Recently I noticed the workers walking all over Our wall. I noticed a crack on it and when I went to inspect it standing from my side of the property, I was hurled abuses and dirty language. I have pictures of the crack and post me complaining to the secretary the Villa no 8 people covered it up neatly on the top. Who is going to pay for the damaged wall when it collapses and causes risk to residents either side. There has been construction activities like wood manufacturing welding etc. since November last year. Check the reception security records to prove the worker traffic. The noise is so deafening that My wife and I have not been able to sit in peace and mourn the death of our dear mother. Saw dust and paint smell was and is a common feature for almost three months and we had to clean our front yard every day. The paint spray particles had damaged my car paint and I had to get this cleaned at my expenses. Over and above the saw dust created so much dust allergy they my Wife has developed severe dust allergy and infection and is suffering silently since then. I have enough medical certificates to show. The forest like cover in front of Villa no 8 hosting all sorts of weeds like plants has always created a mosquito menace for the past four years including the open water tank with fish in it that is maintained in their front yard that is risking lives of all the residents here including children. We have never protested in the past simply because we were simply sympathetic to Villa no 8 member health condition. This does not give anyone the right to be uncivil and hurl abuses at others. The association is free to act on the cats and pigeons in humane or inhumane way necessary as they do not belong to anyone and are free roaming animals. And last but not the least, I surely feel the shades recently built on Villa No 8 are illegal and one complaint to the Panchayat will help validate or dismantle these."

But not send out, instead, after hours of contemplation, the message that went out was: "Here is the deal. I pray for your prosperity and long life. Here after my arms will never feed anyone. Humans nor animals. As long as I live in Divine Park Villas. I am also here with renouncing every relationship in this colony from now. I am renouncing two meals a day and will live with One meal till in August when 1 year memories come together and I serve my annual rites. After that I will be gone. If these animals have destiny to live, they will Live. I will experience Living without my Life. Thank you for showing me the path of detachment and this is the Start! 🙏🏼"

And that lasted for hardly a day. That made me ponder about detachment. 

Attachment leads to suffering. It is easy to let go of people, but what is more crucial is to let go of worry, resentment and the tendency to criticize. The Bhagavad Gita  has lot many things on this topic. Krishna points out to Arjuna, among other things, we are not supposed to give up our families, or our capacity for enjoyment,  but our tendency to identify with our bodies, and personalities instead of with pure, deathless awareness. Detachment takes practise, and it reveals itself in stages.

1) Acknowledgement

2) Self-Inquiry

3) Processing

4) Creative Action

5) Freedom

One way to practice detachment, is to connect with inner presence, then offer up whatever you are trying to get free of.