The Dangers of Attachment

"A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires - that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still - can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires." - The Bhagavad Gita

Our country is on the very edge of what I believe will be a serious, protracted recession. Hopefully I'm wrong in that assessment, but I can't help but think that the greed, avarice and general "affluenza" that has plagued our country for the past decade or two is now coming back to haunt us. People became so enamored with their luxury cars, their huge houses, and living WELL above their means and now that the party is over, I think we're in for a collective long, dark season ahead.

Further to that thought, I am reading a great book by Dr. Wayne Dyer, and in the book one of the many things he discusses is the critical importance of a proper sense of detachment, specifically with regards to material possessions. I'll quote him below:

"Most of us in the Western world identify ourselves and our relative degree of success or failure by the quality and quanity of stuff that we accumulate.... When you adopt such a stance you set yourself up for perpetual frustration. What you are really saying is that you are valueless, incomplete, and worthless...."

Strong words, but I believe they ring true. Stuff doesn't equal contentment. Never has; never will.