Letting Go

Letting go of attachments is hard. I have a Wrangle. Two years ago it was stolen from me. A week later I found it with the ignition system was broken. After a little work and help from my Grandpa I got it out of the impound lot. It now sits in my driveway broken. I keep saying, "i'm going to fix." Everytime I have the money something comes up and I can't. I'll admit I have made the choice to buy other things first.
Now I sit here debating weather or not to sell. I have thought about this before. However my attachment to the truck keeps me from doing so. I know as Jedi's we are not suppose to have attachments but that is hard.
I have got ridden of a lot of things some I was attached to. I used to play card board crack (Yu-Gi-Oh) and played for years and was able to give it up. I have purged cloths more than once. I sold games and got rid of many other things. There is just something about my Wrangle.
My question has anyone else fought this kind of struggle before, and how did it work out for you? Some advice would be nice because my wife will just tell me it's up to me. Thanks in advance. May the Force be with you all.

Attachment isn't about owning things. It's about letting things own you.

A few of my thoughts on attachment:

I think owning things is fine. Even non-essentials. Even a lot of non-essentials. Whatever makes life fun and comfortable without feeling like "too much." This realm might be temporary, but we might as well enjoy it as best we can, while preparing for whatever comes next in the Force.

I think the issue comes in when there's something, someone, someplace, that I feel I wouldn't be ok (barring appropriate grieving etc) without.

I have a small box of items belonging to my deceased son. If I were to somehow lose that box, I don't think I would be ok, even after a lot of grieving. I think I'd probably walk around feeling like there was a hole in me, and acting like it too. I'm attached to that box.

I have a box of my deceased mother's things. If I lost it, I think I'd be ok after a bit of sadness and maybe some panic. I have enough memories of her, and enough of her in me, that I'd be ok without material things to remind me of her. I like that box quite a lot. It's precious to me. But I am detached from that box.

As Steamboat implied, it's cool to own things, as long as they don't own you. Imo.

Edit: Well, here's a funny thing. As I read this over after I submitted it, I realized that in writing it I'd become less attached, or possibly even detached, from my son's things. I mean, I'd grieve long and hard if I lost them... but I would come out the other side ok. He's a part of me, forever, whether or not I can smell his blanket.

Material things come and go throughout our lives and they should serve a purpose. When they no longer serve that purpose, it may be time to let them go. If something no longer meets a need of mine or brings me joy, I often consider it time to leave said thing behind. If the truck meets a need or brings you some joy, keep it. If it doesn't, you should ask yourself if it would meet the needs of or bring joy to someone else. If it will, well, you have your answer.

Senan wrote: Material things come and go throughout our lives and they should serve a purpose. When they no longer serve that purpose, it may be time to let them go...

Tell that to my basement.

steamboat28 wrote: Attachment isn't about owning things. It's about letting things own you.

And the award for Best reply with Fewest words goes to ^

I wrote a sermon on this last February, attachments can really serve as a distraction throughout life if we let them...

https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/sermons/2356-letting-go

steamboat28 wrote: Attachment isn't about owning things. It's about letting things own you.

This is important. I have a huge gaming collection in my apartment and always feel guilty that I have so much. Truth is, though, I KNOW that i can get rid of it whenever I want to so I KNOW that it doesn't own me in any way, shape, or form. Just because we are Jedi doesn't mean we can't own nice things, it just means that we should be wary of letting those things take priority over a healthy life.

We're probably juggling words and concepts until something clicks. What works for you? Is possessiveness a better word?

Are things being seen as process or state... as for me attachment denotes detachment as intrinsic in terms of process, rather then state. So it seems to exist as as synonymous with awareness. I think they are attachments when they shape your movement forward, and possessions when they don't. So I think its ok to be attached to possessions so long as you can detach from them, and therefore not ok to be possessive with attachments

The problem might be when an attachment holds you back, and the Sith folk might call them chains, but Jedi probably seek to avoid 'breaking'' and casting aside as those concepts IMO inherit possessiveness.

I used to have a super nice car, that I could not afford to fix at the time to get on the road. I probably could have kept it, but it looking back it would have had a dramatic impact on the trajectory of my life. I wish I still had it but in doing so I understand I'm being a bit closed minded as to the fact I wouldn't be where I am now having that thought if I had kept it... and an infinite unknowns should outweigh the fantastic construct of my desire, so what I think is happening is I'm trying to assess its worth in an effort to shape my own future, rather then actually criticize my decision back then. Emotion will try to make it all about being 'satisfied' in the now, but sometimes we cannot get everything we want all the time. Good luck with whatever you decide!!! I'm off to scour car sales websites to find it :silly:

I would to thank you all for those words of wisdom. Reading what you all wrote has help me in my choice. It nice to get advice from outside source. It put some clarity to the situation and gave me a better understanding of the situation. Again thank you