The Twilight Within Us

Awesome. I have a borderline obsession with opposition. Thanks for sharing this!

It might be appropriate to mention that 2 Nephi says there in opposition in all things. The language of “compound in one” is also intriguing.

2 Nephi 2:11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

Thanks for bringing in those scriptural references. I really had not thought of those in context to the paragraph I quoted. They fit good.

We devour the beautiful and enticing fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. It is no longer on the tree, shining in appearance. Have we destroyed it? No. We took it inside ourselves. We digest it, and it is assimilated into our being, into every cell. The experience is described as the assimilation of opposites. In order to truly live, we must also die. In order to have joy, we must weep. It’s a tension of opposites that plays out like a fractal diagram expanding, creating a life experience. We can fear this. We can find beauty and wonderment in it.

I say we are on a hero’s adventure, not sitting in a study hall taking a pass/fail proficiency exam.

Now, THAT would be staying present!!

Absolutely! I served my mission in Japan (Buddhist mostly) where I first heard the term “detachment.” It was so contrary to my Mormon upbringing that it took years to grasp it. It is a beautiful concept. Eckhart Tolle’s work (Power of Now, The New Earth…) helped me further understand it, and you are so right on about how much peace and joy we have when we live the principle.

I think the ‘shadow’ side of detachment is that we become apathetic. Too many confuse the two, I think.

I think the act of detachment is the continued motivation. As per the OP, the “twilight” can only be reached through detachment.

And, it may be semantics, but detachment doesn’t have to mean “I don’t care about anything”, because, in a sense, that is not detachment. Someone who is suicidal gets to that point. That isn’t detachment because “not caring” is self-loathing/self-defeating. Detachment is the embracing of self at the expense of all things external. Detachment is valuing the “individual” existence to it’s maximum potential.

Now, there are times when detachment may look like inaction/apathy. Sometimes this is a necessary part of the detachment process, not the end-game.

Any confusion would come from a lack of understanding/experience. imo

*loving this thread*

In regards to the danger of apathy. If someone is fully living life for the experience and to experience joy, sorrow, etc, wouldn’t that avoid apathy? Wouldn’t that person see the purpose in experience?

We devour the beautiful and enticing fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. It is no longer on the tree, shining in appearance. Have we destroyed it? No. We took it inside ourselves. We digest it, and it is assimilated into our being, into every cell. The experience is described as the assimilation of opposites. In order to truly live, we must also die. In order to have joy, we must weep. It’s a tension of opposites that plays out like a fractal diagram expanding, creating a life experience. We can fear this. We can find beauty and wonderment in it.

I say we are on a hero’s adventure, not sitting in a study hall taking a pass/fail proficiency exam.

I absolutely love this, Valoel!!!!!!! I may steal it….

Beautiful insight, Rix!!

But you didn’t finish it. You mentioned the two downers: co-dependency and expectations, but you mostly talked about co-dependency. How about expectations?

Thanks in advance for your response, I love your insight!

I am nothing more than a novice at this too, but I agree that detachment does not mean a lack of feeling (joy or sorrow). Quite the opposite! We should feel these as much as possible.

Detachment to me is related to expectations. Expectations (and dependence) causes fear, that we might not get our desire at some point in the future. Detachment in the sense we are talking about is letting go of expectations. We do good for the experience of doing it, not so that we get something expected in return. We work on accepting things as they are, understanding things as they are, and experiencing what is truly real — the now. The future does not exist. The past is a memory that fades and morphs over time.

Detachment does not indicate a lack of living. It is super-living!

Actually, to respond to Swimordie, this post by Valoel is about what I would have said (if I didn’t get busy at work and had to cut it short! 😡 ) He said it well!

I was raised with the emphasis on that ole scripture “for obedience to each commandment, there is a corresponding reward (or “blessing”). (of course paraphrasing….). I took it quite literally and it became a game of mathematics. If I paid my tithing, I expected financial “blessings.” If I fulfilled my callings, went to meetings, read my scriptures, etc., etc….I expected that life would generally go my way.

It didn’t (at least how I expected it too). So as I did the math, God was upside down with me. The paradigm was failing. So in my resentment, my life went to pot (from the world’s view).

In my searching/recovery process I read and listened to gurus from all walks of life. I read books on the life of Ghandi, Buddha, many new thought teachers…all taught me much. Through all of it, I learned that what worked for me was to approach life with an attitude involving two simple principles:

1) I am responsible for everything in my life; and

2) I have no expectations of anybody else; anything I receive from others is a gift.

It changed my life. You can’t be a victim of anything with this approach. God, the Church, my friends, my parents, my spouse…were all doing the best they could with what they’d been given. There was no fault anywhere…nor blame. My life turned around in every sense of the word from there. When all there is is gratitude, there is no stress or worry.

I also changed my take on “love.” I don’t believe in “loving” the way many do. I don’t “love another” in the way where we would expect that if I give something, I get something back…or if I do something for “her,” she should do something for me. That is a set up for disaster! The only person I can “love” is myself. When I do that perfectly, I can share my love with others, but I expect nothing in return. I can commit all my romantic love to my wife, but I expect nothing, nor do I need anything, from her. We simply enjoy sharing our life experience with each other.

I think that is consistent with detachment. At least that’s what I try to live. I find that if I start to get upset about something…I have lost sight of one or both of the principles, and I replay it until I see it correctly. And I can honestly say my life is awesome today!