A woman says to her husband, a rabbi, “While you were away, a friend of ours visited us and left two jewels of incalculable value here for me to look after. They’re really lovely jewels! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful before. He has since come to claim them back, and I don’t want to return them. I’ve grown too fond of them. What should I do?”

The rabbi responds firmly, “No one can lose something he or she has not possessed. Keeping those jewels would be tantamount to stealing them. We will give them back…”

She replies, “In fact, they already have been. The two precious jewels were our sons. God entrusted them to our care, and while you were away, he came to fetch them back. They have gone.”

 “The Two Jewels”, Like the Flowing River, Paulo Coelho

 

Attachment to Things

When we talk about attachment, we often discuss it in the context of material possessions. We all know money can’t buy happiness, and we’re aware that there will never come a day when an external object such as a big house or expensive car will make us feel complete, so attaching ourselves and our happiness to these things or wanting them is useless, even dangerous. You can’t buy happiness, right? Continue reading →