Detachment and Renovation

I recently started reading novels again this year. Once my college career began, my attention was focused on textbooks, research papers, lecture notes, google docs on docs, and recorded lectures. I forgot my love for reading.

I came upon an article written by my friend in college who now resides in the LA area. (Although I miss her a lot, distance does not matter.) She wrote how you should invest yourself in creating something, taking classes that have true value, and reading more books! She inserted one quote that has stuck with me. It went like this:

"A man who reads lives a thousand lives. A man who does not read only lives one life."

It continues to influence my life every day.

The first book I read this year was "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. The novel is about how Albom's former college professor Morrie turns out to be a treasured friend and mentor as he counsels Albom on what is truly important in life. The following is what was emphasized:

-Love yourself
-Love others
-Invest yourself in creating something with meaning and purpose
-Have good values
-Forgive others
-And, lastly, to learn how to detach yourself from an emotion/memory/feeling after you feel its full dynamic

Detachment.

As human beings, it is our natural character to have the need to feel belonged, appreciated, and cared about. It is impossible to live by oneself without the comfort of a helping hand or kind word/smile.

Detachment. It is feared because if a person chooses to go through the process, he/she fears that only misery/loneliness will accompany it.

However, from personal experience, detachment is important to adapt as a trait because only then will you be able to arise from "failure".

As an addendum, I would like to share a quote that Conan O'Brien used in his remarks to the graduates of the Dartmouth Class of 2011:

"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal, that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It is not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound reinvention."