- Oct 31, 2008
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I don't mean change in the Church but just change in life. Like when your town grows and becomes less and less like the place you grew up, or when a workplace undergoes a transition and doesn't quite feel like the same place anymore, or maybe the McRib is taken off the menu. I don't know.
Things that in the grand scheme of things aren't important but some people, like me, have a tendency to be uncomfortable with and have difficulty adjusting to. I just feel like I want to be free of my concern about change, but I also think that sounds a little too Buddhist. The whole "detachment" concept and their general view of impermanence. But I'd be interested if there were any good contemporary Catholic writers who maybe just have good life advice backed by Catholic theology for how a person like me can grow into not letting change rub me the wrong way anymore, not let it bother me.
There's a vulgar concept that I often here from friends that I'll paraphrase as "Zero effs". I don't know if anyone has seen the 1999 film Office Space where the main character Peter is undergoing hypnotism when in the middle of the procedure the hypnotist keels over from a heart attack. Since the hypnotism is left unfinished Peter walks away in this carefree state that has managed to give him perspective on the important things in life.
I dunno but that disposition, that state of mind, has been my white whale for my entire adulthood thus far. I think in some part my aversion to change is why I can't reach that. It's not the whole reason but I'm sure it's a big part of it. It's reared it's head because of a lot of external changes happening in my world right now. I'm sensitive (not in a touchy feely way, just in that I notice things) to my environment so everything that's happening is just really bringing my issue to my own attention.
Anyway, sorry for rambling. It's late and I'm running on 3hrs sleep, but... TL;DR - if anyone knows a good Catholic book on detachment from things that are unimportant, letting go of change, etc a recommendation would be awesome.
Thanks!
Things that in the grand scheme of things aren't important but some people, like me, have a tendency to be uncomfortable with and have difficulty adjusting to. I just feel like I want to be free of my concern about change, but I also think that sounds a little too Buddhist. The whole "detachment" concept and their general view of impermanence. But I'd be interested if there were any good contemporary Catholic writers who maybe just have good life advice backed by Catholic theology for how a person like me can grow into not letting change rub me the wrong way anymore, not let it bother me.
There's a vulgar concept that I often here from friends that I'll paraphrase as "Zero effs". I don't know if anyone has seen the 1999 film Office Space where the main character Peter is undergoing hypnotism when in the middle of the procedure the hypnotist keels over from a heart attack. Since the hypnotism is left unfinished Peter walks away in this carefree state that has managed to give him perspective on the important things in life.
I dunno but that disposition, that state of mind, has been my white whale for my entire adulthood thus far. I think in some part my aversion to change is why I can't reach that. It's not the whole reason but I'm sure it's a big part of it. It's reared it's head because of a lot of external changes happening in my world right now. I'm sensitive (not in a touchy feely way, just in that I notice things) to my environment so everything that's happening is just really bringing my issue to my own attention.
Anyway, sorry for rambling. It's late and I'm running on 3hrs sleep, but... TL;DR - if anyone knows a good Catholic book on detachment from things that are unimportant, letting go of change, etc a recommendation would be awesome.
Thanks!