Detaching from This World and All of Its Wonders

I have a friend here in the nursing home who I’ll call G. I met her a few months ago and visited her whenever I would take my walks. G was very together mentally, and it was pleasant to converse with her.

She had a roommate, a beautiful African American lady named ML. I had known her much longer than G, so she and I would jokingly compete as to how much we loved G and loved our mutual friendships. 

However, due to my difficulties with low blood pressure and my necessity to sleep a lot of the time, I had to curtail the frequency of my walking and my visits.

So, I have not seen G or ML for the past two or three months. Yesterday, as I was walking again, I heard a male voice from a distance asking for help. I went to see what was going on. The man, another friend of mine, was sitting in his wheelchair, and G was lying on one of those chairs that can be extended so one can lay on it fully. 

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I went to this male friend trying to help G, who was very disturbed. The change in her was so great that it stunned me. Previously, I did not know she had dementia, but yesterday, her mental degradation seemed so severe that I was shocked, as well as sad for her. She was lost in her mind and was full of fear and terror. She wanted GR and me to stay with her and help her find her home address.  

The experience clearly confirmed for me the idea that nothing is permanent. 

No professional, no educational, no artistic, no financial achievements, no fame, or anything else is permanent. These earthly achievements will inevitably disappear one by one as we grow progressively older. So, what does remain permanent?

The Baha’i teachings say we possess only one permanent essence:

If an elementary substance is possessed of immortality, how can the human spirit or reality, which is wholly above combination and composition, be destroyed? Nay, rather, that spirit, which is all in all, is a unit and not a compound. Its destruction, therefore, is not possible. The spirit of man transcends the qualities and attributes of any natural element. It is greater in attributes than gold, silver or iron, which are single elements and indestructible. As they are free from destruction and qualified with permanence, how much more so is the human spirit free and immortal. How will that ever be destroyed? This is a subject of great importance.  

Of course, we can forget that truth and begin to mistakenly believe that this fleeting physical existence is permanent. 

For example, as I write this today, Baha’is everywhere are celebrating the new year or Naw-Ruz, which means “new day.” The Baha’i New Year starts on the vernal equinox, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when much of the world comes out of the coldness and darkness of winter and puts on a new green robe. 

For many decades, on Baha’i holy days like Naw-Ruz, my whole house would be festively decorated, and we had our wonderful pot-luck gatherings and parties where everyone would bring one or more of their favorite dishes. We had spiritual nutrition, prayers, uplifting readings from the Baha’i writings, fellowship, games, and just plain fun. But since I have moved to this nursing home, due to the aging and health issues of many Baha’is like me, these face-to-face gatherings have diminished greatly. My Baha’i life is not as exciting as it was prior to my move here, and nothing can be done about it. 

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I am just thinking at this moment that maybe my sadness is due to the loss of this previous life situation. No matter how wonderful or fulfilling, this material life in the physical body is destined to come to a close for all of us. So, I’m learning that this is another area where I have to sever my feelings of attachment. 

When I detach from the physical, it leads me deeper into the spiritual reality, where joy, fellowship, and love are permanent rather than situational. This realization makes me feel much better emotionally and reminds me to praise God, the Lord of bounty and favor, as this prayer from Abdu’l-Baha reveals:

O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else, and open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow down thy head in submission, and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.