The Nature of Attachments
- by Philip St. Romain; all rights reserved
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.
1. To have what you do not want (but what you cannot be rid of without violating your moral values).
2. 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.
Examples: approval of others, winning, controlling other people and circumstances, greed for money or sexual experience, getting high on something, perfect work, losing weight, etc.
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 towardthreats 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 concerns 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?
4. Is there something you tell yourself you need in order to be OK?
--If you answer yes to any of these questions, you have an attachment of some kind.