Dear Jack:

Everything in moderation, even the Buddhist principle of non attachment. There is such a thing (still boggles my mind) called “death meditation”- there are Buddhists out there who meditate on giving up their attachment to their bodies and being okay with dying. My hat off to anyone succeeding in such a venture. For more than a moment, if that. The extreme, unworkable part of Buddhism is the idea that it is possible to achieve complete detachment, to be completely prepared for disease and death by being prepared for it all the time. That is an anxious way of living, achieving the exact opposite.

When I examine my fear, I realize most of my fears are about things that already happened. I will be in a much better spot if I only fear what may or will happen. It cuts down on the load of fear.

anita