One of the most misunderstood principles in the eastern thought model is the idea of detachment. This idea is usually interpreted to mean being disassciated with one's emotions, giving the impression that someone who is seeking this detachment is some kind of inhuman monster that doesn't have any compassion or love. This is not the case however. The idea of detachment is not the void of emotion, because we being human are emotional creatures. Emotions are an important aspect to the multidimensional self. This idea is a way to learn how to become in control of one's self. It is another way of looking at our emotional content and our attachment to the world.

The state of detachment is one that is free of all judgement, all expectations, and manipulative control. Detachment is a state of being free of attachment to things that we encounter in this world. It is about not holding onto our material possessions as they are fleeting and temporary. It is about learning how to experience our emotions without being caught up in them, without letting ourselves become trapped by our emotions. It lets us experience life without jealousy and without expectation. Expectations lead to dissapointment. Dissapointment is related to jealousy and fear and distrust. Fear is related to hate and anger.

The common taoist phrase about detachment is to 'be in the world but not of it'. This is  basically conveying the idea that although we are living in this world, we do not have to become wrapped up in it. Meaning that the things we encounter in this life should not become the controlling aspect of our lives. When we release ourselves of all attachment then we can experience life as a whole person. We are not dependant on some other person or some thing to provide us with our life's meaning. In relation to material objects this is meaning that these things are merely objects that come in and out of our lives and that to place them as our primary focus is to become distracted by the whims of society and the modern physical world. It is making the item empowered and us a servant to it. This can be said also for addictions and fetishes. In relation to interpersonal relationships, it is meaning that although we may love and cherish each other as people, that to place expectations on this person is to then set one's self up for disapointment or sorrow. Learn to love without fear. Learn to love without want of something in return. This is the essence of detachment. It is not the lack of love. It is unconditional love. It is accepting life for all of its peaks and valleys and realizing that everything passes eventually and that in order to appreciate life's lessons we must learn acceptance and understanding and love as the guiding force.

Another commonly misinterpreted idea is the idea of Karma. More often than not karma is used in the context of "that child didn't deserve to get shot", or something to that effect.  'That child' is not responsible for anything that goes on around him, he is a product of his environment. The misconception lies here, because karma is associated with reincarnation. The idea is that we carry with us throughout our spiritual journey all of the things that we , as a SOUL, have done in this creation . The soul incarnates into personalities, individuals, yet all are a part of the greater whole of the being. Karma is something like a continuing lesson in life. Often it is interpreted as a sort of punishment system but I see it as a sort of personal evolution of the soul. Usually it is said that 'negative' karma is only resolved through some form of suffering or torment; however ,I do not believe that this necessarily has to be the case, although sometimes it may well be. I believe that karma can be resolved not only through pain but also through the reversal of the way of life which caused the initial karma. Living a life that is dedicated to the promotion of love and life, I think, is a way to counter the negative residue accumulated in past incarnations, a sort of counter balancing. One must learn humility and service, and be dedicated to serving the greater good.

It is said that a negative person will live a negative life. I think that we project our negativity and throughout life we attract the same kind of behavior, like a magnetic pull, but as we change this behavior the polarity changes and now you are letting in the positive energy which then manifests as 'good' things in life. So I see it not as a punishment/reward system so much but much like how subconsciously people attract the things in life which they make a focus of. For example the victim/abuser relationship. The victim has made thier subconscious focus on being victimized, and the abuser then is attracted to this like a homing beacon. Similarly, the saying birds of a feather flock together, is stating that those of the same make-up are drawn to each other. So , we have in our power the ability to actively change our karma and not be at the whim of some capricious dogmatic law. The decision is yours, the power rests in your hands. Each of us can at any time decide to actively change our life and our perception of it.

'Every journey begins with a single step' ...taoist proverb