I read your post thoughtfully and unfortunately I don’t want to be rude, I but want to clearly say you got many things wrong. I hope you will consider my words as I have considered yours.

First off not all meditations are same. That would be like saying all rock music is the same. Different types of meditation have different purposes and just because you are a Buddhist monk doesn’t mean you have a meditation practice or one that leads to self improvement and the various other benefits (many scientifically proven — read Altered Traits). It just means you believe in the religion named Buddhism.

Second, I wrote a post to addresses this precise topic, because I had heard this idea before about meditation potentially leading to complete detachment — Don’t Worry, Meditation Isn’t Going to Turn You into a Hermit. But in gist I’d say, meditation detaches you from your emotions so instead of reacting immediately, you reflect, then determine the most appropriate response. Compassion is central to most Buddhist related meditations, so the example provided doesn’t seem accurate.

Third, to be fair, your hospital example and the book’s are extreme and not typical in regards to day to day life. Would detaching from your emotions serve you when you wake up randomly feeling a little down? Or when someone cuts you off on the highway? Or when your boss has a strong difference in opinion on particular idea or concept? While intellectually we feel our emotions are deeply personal, in reality they rarely serve us in positive ways. Instead if we reflected on the situation calmly but with compassion, we’d likely be of more value and get better results overall.

Lastly, reading books is great but a regular practice will serve you much more. Intellectual knowledge can only take you so far. Every person who wants to lose weight knows they shouldn’t eat sweets and should exercise, but when they pass an ice cream store they completely forget. Practice and the wisdom you gain from practice is most valuable. Try meditating and I’d recommend Vipassana (the practice Buddha used to become enlighten).

In closing, I’d like to politely ask you to consider removing this piece. It is not fair an assessment of meditation and spreading information that could deter someone from practicing something that both scientifically and anecdotally has helped millions. Perhaps as I advised above, read Altered Traits if you want to understand what meditation can unlock for you. Then write a blog post.

Thank you