The problem with shiny is that it’s usually sharp. When I was a young boy around Christmas I became enamored with one of the glass ornaments on the tree. It was one of those thin glass red foiled ones. I ran up and grabbed it off the tree and in my excitement, and, zeal of the moment I grasped it very tightly. The sound was really what I remember most like thin ice cracking on a lake with that high pitch “Tink” sound. The next thing I noticed was the blood, pain, and, the shattered ornament in my hand. I have the scar to this day. It cut me deep in the fleshy part of my hand. The significance of the lesson was lost on me at that young age.
As I got older there was many more shiny distraction, Beautiful people, and things in my life I destroyed by grasping too hard at them. The lessons where all lost on me then, as well. It took me many years to realize the truth of attachment, grasping, and, the suffering that it causes in our lives. It took me many years to even see, that I needed to work on balance in my life.
Finally twenty seven years into life I had broken, crushed , and destroyed just about all the shiny in my life there was no shiny left for me to grasp. I was very fortunate to have had such a great opportunity to change my relationship to life and to walk a spiritual path. I am grateful to have had such great teachers that have taught me that the root of all suffering is attachment.
One of the greatest and worst things about this samsara is that all things are impermanent and depending on my relationship to this fact, it can either be a freeing truth or a bone crushing juggernaut of suffering, It is all my choice . I have the choice to train my mind, I have the choice to live the eightfold path today. I rarely grasp tight enough to break things now ( and for this I am extremely grateful ) but grasping and attachment will always be something I have to work on, I think that may be the point who knows. What I do know is that when I am practicing equanimity, I can serve the greater good in any situation without much work on my part. The work was already put in through daily practice before the causes and conditions came together. It is through a daily meditation practice That I am able to compassionately and skillfully react to situations in my life.
Non attachment is a hard practice and I am not so sure I am any good at it but I try and each time I get a little better.