"There are three couplings,' said Myrna, herself leaning forward now, and whispering though she didn't know why. 'Attachment masquerades as Love, Pity as Compassion and Indifference as Equanimity.'
"Armand Gamache was quiet for a moment. There was a deeper meaning, he knew it. Something important had just been said."
This summer for me will be remembered as a Gamache summer. I am quite enamored with Louse Penny and her detective mysteries which feature Armand Gamache. I am starting the fifth one today.
Her characters are multi-dimensional. They are flawed but they struggle to be more and understand life more fully. Gamache, the Chief Superintendent, is my favorite. He feels and loves deeply, but yet, he is careful and circumspect about his observations of others. Always solving the crime can get you attention but also resentments for your abilities.
As to the above morning lines, let me explain more. Attachment can masquerade as Love often in parent-child relationships. When we need our children to define ourselves, we may act more from an attachment than real love. It is a self-deception at that point and can be unhealthy. Pity dressing up as compassion may be hard to recognize but can be detected if you feel superior to the person for whom you have feelings. Pity is ego driven but compassion comes from being on equal ground. The last coupling is Indifference hiding behind equanimity. "Equanimity is balance, an ability to accept things and move on." Some people are brave, feel pain fully, and then let it go but the counterfeit to this is an inability to truly care about others. These people may act and look the same because they seem cool, calm and collected.
Wow! Can you believe I got that from a murder mystery? I can't wait to see what the next book brings.
Oh I am so glad you posted about a mystery series...I checked our library online and they carry her books ;) thanks.
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