Work, attachment and misery

We all work day and night , some may be students, employees, businessman, spiritual teachers etc. But in doing this work we often care for its result, its outcomes or profit and importantly we are very much attached to the work.

Swami Vivekananda, the greatest leader, used to say, "Work! Be unattached! That is the whole secret". We today may do brilliant work but the thing is we are attached to it. We may become great Doctors, Engineers, Entrepreneurs etc., but we all are very much attached to our work and its result. And this attachment brings the misery.  One may say,if this attachment brings misery then, its better not to work. Now, no one can stay like that, everyone has to work because life without work makes us lazy and useless. Even the King of Jungle, Lion, has to hunt for its food. So, everyone has to work.

How does misery come when we are attached to work? Misery comes when our expectation is not fulfilled. Let us take an example. A student who wants to give an Entrance exam studies day and night, so that he can get admitted into a best college and in all he always thinks about his bright future. But somehow he could not make into best of the colleges and he is under great depression. He is into a great mental depression and regrets how much has he studied and gave time, but all attempts are in vain. At last he sees that his future is in dark and loses faith in himself. He may also try to commit suicide. But suicide or depression is not the answer to this problem or for every problem in life. The student was so much attached to the results, and this attachment or expectation let to his depression. Had he not cared for whichever college he gets in, the situation would have been different. Some start new business and they fail, misery enters into their life. And they lose hope in life and suffer. Yes its true that everyone wants success , but not at life's cost.

So what's the way out? Work hard, try it, but without attachment. Swamji says, "Work incessantly, but give up all attachment to work".  Now the question arises, how to work with non attachment? Swamiji has given the answer beautifully, he says, "Work incessantly, holding life as something deified, as God Himself, and knowing that, this is all we have to do, this is all we should ask for". Just we have to work and think as if this is God's work or he has given me this work. You will get the results no doubt but don't think of it because when we think of results too much we get attached and when great work is not done we feel the misery. Work is worship , but we don't get the real meaning of it. We all have to work as if this work is a worship to the Lord. If we work in that way we will never get attached to the work and misery won't come. Swamiji says "He is perfect man who has both the power of attachment and detachment". Yes if we practice detachment we can avoid the miseries of the life. Swamiji himself says that he too suffered because of this attachment and after long practice he cultivated that habit of detachment. It's seen that most miseries in life come due to this attachment. We all have in us great power of attachment but we lack detachment. So,we all should practice detachment. We can see today because of so much attachment not only to work but other things like money, fame, senses,stardom etc. is bringing misery to the society in which we live. If everyone of us can practice detachment then it would turn out to be a wonderful society.