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29 Sep 10 Rational Detachment - Enlightenment the Vulcan Way
I strive towards having as much rational detachment from- and control over my emotions as possible. This does not mean I strive towards feeling nothing at all, I still embrace the positive aspects that come with the human condition, it is impossible not to and it would be a shame to miss out on the positive experiences. Furthermore, we need the contrast of experiencing the negative to fully appreciate the positive. However, what rational detachment does mean is that I strive to understand WHY I feel a certain way, while at the same time not letting my emotions or state possess me.
Being More Than a Hairless, Domesticated Ape
Being able to look at- and control your emotional state with a certain level of rational detachment is a healthy thing, it allows us to rise above being instinctual animals, it allows our cognitive faculties to be firmly in the drivers seat of our own lives, rather than our animalistic instincts.
Being able to exercise control over your emotional state and understanding why you are in a certain state means that you can safely embrace those feelings that are good for you, while at the same time being able to discard and divert those that are detrimental to you.
A lack of control and understanding of emotions can lead people down many detrimental paths: crimes of passion, unhealthy obsessions, irrational fears, depressions and many other self perpetuating bad habits. Being able to lead and direct your inner dialogue and state is a powerful tool not only in understanding yourself, but in avoiding many self destructive and self defeating behaviors in our lives.
Transcending the Human Condition
As human beings, we are endowed with intelligence, rationality and sentience, these are the things that makes us stand out, that enabled us to become masters over this little planet of ours. To me, emphasizing and improving these gifts over our more basic instincts is what being a better human is all about. It does not mean that we should not embrace the fact that we are emotional, feeling animals. But it does mean that we allow the sentient, rational part of ourselves make the important decision in our lives and be what guides our decision making.
It means not being slaves to the biochemical reactions and impulses in our brains, but rather mastering our own biochemistry.
Embracing rationality, gaining understanding and insight through detachment from self or “id”, rising above the animal inside us is a way of becoming more human. It is a path to enlightenment that is a truly spiritual journey. A path that can allow us to transcend humanity through profound insight and knowledge into ourselves and the world we live in, giving us tools that will quite literally allow us to define our reality, and through action create almost any outcome we desire.
