To Be Free Let Go of What You Love
A psychopathic fanatic is not scared of death. Martyrs can let go of their clinging to life because they eagerly await rewards of a life after life. Depending on the fairy tale they adhere to, that award may have various shapes. It can be incorporeal existence of plenty, sometimes coupled with a personal harem, it can be something else — in almost all cases it’s a variant of Earthly circumstances devoid of material lack and physical pain, full of eternal pleasure.
But the temptations may not be this straightforward. In fact, in most cases they are rather subtle. Take for example those who are convinced that they sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. All of them, at least subconsciously, expect thanks and recognition. If nothing else, they hope to leave an imprint in the (collective) memory. Call them tragic heroes, call them exceptional humans, exactly as the fanatics, they are just selfishly self-important. And that’s just one of many examples.
Those who know who they are, on the other hand, can let go of their clinging to life without a prospect of any reward. Well, if they wouldn’t be able to unconditionally let go, they wouldn’t be able to know in the first place. Of course, letting go of clinging to life is not exactly easy because you have to bite your way through and let go of many layers of “minor clingings” which are, more often than not, tied to our ambitions. We strive to make it in the field we love and are banging our heads against the wall, sometimes for decades, awaiting success and that glittering hoped for breakthrough.
If that is your case, maybe it’s time to recognize that your art, skills or what have you is not that breathtaking as you would like to think. Perhaps it’s time to admit that there are thousands, if not millions, of people with the same talent and skill, and the reason you didn’t make it is not because of absence of luck, dumb masses don’t getting your genius, or system stacked and conspiring against you. Perhaps it’s time to accept that you didn’t make it because you simply suck or are at best mediocre.
Don’t get me wrong. Reaching a state when you recognize that your output won’t become any better just different, reaching that wall you know you will never pass is nothing to be ashamed of or be angry about. Trying to overcome it as many times as you feel like it is, likewise, nothing to denounce. But either you fulfill your dreams (which may not be exactly yours however), reach the top and exhaust all walls to climb over, or you reach a final limit that is above your talent and peculiarities. There is simply no third possibility (even if I count premature giving up).
Even in the case of you reaching the top in your field, and even if you manage to reinvent, or continue to compete against, yourself, you will eventually hit the same ceiling. In that sense, such impasse is a blessing. Universe is sending you a message to know your place and accept your limitations. It’s also a perfect time to recognize the true motivations of your obsessions. In any case, it’s an ideal opportunity to step toward absolute self-knowledge — the realization of your true nature.
But of course, this is barely the starting line — I still didn’t touch upon letting go of clinging to people we love, worldviews we subscribe to and hold dear, or subtle intuitive experiences we consider sacrosanct. There’s where the real fun of letting go actually begins. Suffice to say, if you don’t make yourself lean and mean and cling left and right, you will never know who you are. Provided, you are even interested in it, don’t merely fill your head with ever more writings just talking the talk, and also don’t indulge a false notion of self-flattering humility that absolute self-knowledge is impossible — let go of that cherished attitude too.
I know that such measures may sound harsh, but freedom cannot be given. Only you can liberate yourself, if and only if you have the guts to break all attachments. That’s also the only true strength you can actually ever have.
So, have the courage to be strong. And be free at last.
