Philip St. Romain
The Nature of
Attachments
Desire--the attraction of the will
toward any particular person, place, or thing.
- --it is natural and inevitable for a
created being with needs to have desires.
- --our deepest, most fundamental desires
are to live, to understand, and to be happy; these desires can
ultimately be fulfilled only in God.
Disordered Desires--the inappropriate
attraction of the will toward any particular person, place, or thing.
--the fulfillment of such a desire hurts oneself or others; --the
pursuit of such a desire violates moral values; --the cultivation of
such a desire undermines the experience of God as the fulfillment of
our deepest desire.
- A. To have what you do not want (but
what you cannot be rid of without violating your moral
values).
- B. To want what you do not have (in such
a manner as to undermine your experience of what you need most . .
. i.e. union with God).
Attachments--disordered desires which
have become more or less habitual preoccupations of the mind and
will.
- A. Examples: approval of others,
winning, controling other
- people and circumstances, accumulating
money, sexual experience., getting high on something, perfect
work.. losing weight, etc.
- B. Effects on consciousness:
- --Intellect is preoccupied with ways to
get what you want and avoid what you don't want; other people seen
as a help or a hindrance to obtaining attachment.;
judgementalism.
--Will is focused on getting what I want . . . selfishness
--Emotional climate is disturbed. Anxiety about not getting what I
want; angry toward threats to my fulfillment.
--Attention is focused on past and future. NOW is missed.
--Experience of God: One who can help me get what I
want.
Addictions--attachments which have
become compulsive preoccupations. The mind and will are no longer
capable of completely resisting indulgence.
Spiritual Significance of
Attachments/Addictions: They are our primary obstacle to
experiencing peace., happiness.. union with God.
How to Know if You Have
Attachments
- 1. Do you experience anxiety over
situations beyond your control?
- 2. Is your mind "noisy," preoccupied
over concern about which you derive little pleasure in
considering?
- 3. Is it difficult for you to enoy the
NOW without disturbing memories from the past or anxious concerns
about the future intruding?
--If you answer yet to any of these
questions, you have an attachment of some kind.
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