Separating ourselves from our opinions
From Sri Eknath Easwaran: One who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment. ~ Meister Eckhart Most of us identify ourselves with our pet opinions. Then, when we are contradicted, we take it personally and get upset. If we could look at ourselves with some detachment, we would see how absurd this is. There is scarcely any more connection between me and my opinions than there is between me and my car. I have a close friend who is devoted to her Volkswagen Bug. If I compliment her on it, she is pleased; if I tell her what her neighbor says about Volkswagens, she feels insulted. But why? Where is the connection? She is not a VW Bug. Once we realize at a deeper level of consciousness that we are not our opinions, most of the resentment in differences of opinion disappears. There is nothing wrong with disagreement; in fact, sometimes it is necessary to disagree. But we should do so with complete respect for the other pe