Separation from the World

A worldly life is incompatible with the path to God. To seek after pleasure, wealth, fame and material comforts inevitably distracts from pursuing a spiritual purpose. More than harmless distractions, such worldly passions and attachments drag the soul to hell. Hence, scriptures contain numerous admonitions to avoid conforming to the world and its values.

Wise men and women regard worldly achievement as an illusion. They do not delight in worldly pleasures, but devote themselves to God’s will. At all times they seek to remain detached from worldly thoughts and sense impressions. They measure achievement by spiritual progress, rather than by the standards of worldly success.

In some religions, separation from the world is achieved by physical isolation in a monastic community. More often the boundaries are invisible, enforced by moral suasion and church discipline. For people who are “in the world but not of the world,” their lives may appear outwardly ordinary, yet the inner content of their lives is quite different, without attachment to the world’s prevailing values.