Why Renunciation is Scary

Have you ever considered renouncing something, someone, or even your identity? By renunciation I mean the act of letting go of attachments—whether to people, possessions, desires, status, or ego—for the sake of inner peace, spiritual growth, or a higher purpose. For example, you might have a strong emotional attachment to someone. How would it feel if you were to let that person go? Or, how would it feel to give up your job if you are so attached to it because it gives you a sense of identity, job security, and great pay? So in this post, let’s dive into why renunciation is scary.

“”I do not want to get material life, do not want the sense-life, but something higher.” That is renunciation. Then, by the powpost,er of meditation, undo the mischief that has been done.”

~ Swami Vivekananda

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Why Renunciation is Scary

It is our attachment to people or material things that makes it difficult even to contemplate renouncing. Then the question is, why do we have attachments? We have selfish expectations of these attachments. They provide us with something of value that we want or desire so badly. Then the question is, why do we desire them so badly? Is it because they fill a void in us? Why do we feel empty and need someone or something else to make us feel complete? That is because we cannot connect with our inner self, which is a source of infinite energy. This energy radiates as love and light. If we connect to this infinite energy, we realize there is no void. We don’t need anyone or anything to satisfy our cravings and desires.

I learnt to tread the path of renunciation by following my inner voice. By practicing meditation and Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is about aligning one’s actions and thoughts with the divine or higher self. It’s about moving beyond attachments and desires, and cultivating self-discipline and moderation. It has been an illuminating journey of self-discovery and self-realization for me, and I am grateful to God for leading me to this path. For me, I think God has always guided me on the path of righteousness through my inner voice.

The Illusion of Security in Attachment

We hold on to people, identities, habits, and things because they give us a sense of stability. Our jobs, relationships, routines—even our pain—can become familiar anchors. Renunciation threatens this illusion, asking us to step into a deeper trust. That’s unsettling because it strips away what we believe keeps us safe. What I have realized over the years is that these attachments are the root cause of our stress and anxiety. We get so attached that we depend on them. That is when we lose our independence. We become slaves to our attachments, which are primarily sense desires feeding our ego. What if we can renunciate these selfish desires and replace them with something higher like selfless service? What I have realized the desire to serve selflessly helps us transcend our selfish desires. That gives an immense sense of inner peace.

Fear of Losing Control

Control is comforting. We plan, predict, and manipulate to feel in charge of our lives. Renunciation, however, invites surrender—not to helplessness, but to something greater than the ego. It means loosening our grip on outcomes. That loss of control can feel like a kind of death, and our ego resists it fiercely. I have been wanting to overcome this fear of losing control for a while. What helped me was being able to connect with my inner self through meditation. I could overcome my desire to cling to my attachments and let go.

Practicing Brahmacharya helped me connect with my inner self and realize what truly matters to me. I don’t feel a sense of void anymore; I can feel the inner energy, which is infinite. It has helped me find my purpose in my life, i.e. to strive for selfless service. Writing this blog post is part of that journey to help others who may find it useful.

Who Am I Without My Labels?

We often define ourselves by our roles—father, manager, engineer, leader. But renunciation asks us to question: Who am I really, beyond all this? Facing the void beneath our identity can feel like groundlessness. Yet it’s in this space that true self-realization begins. So, the journey I embarked on over a year was to identify these illusions that my ego had been clinging to. It has been extremely difficult for me to detach from these attachments that I think identified me. It’s a journey, and meditation and self-realization have been key to treading this path of detachment for me.

The Loneliness of the Inner Path

The path of letting go is often walked alone. When you detach from distractions and superficial bonds, a quietness sets in. That quiet can feel lonely. Many fear renunciation because it seems to lead to isolation—but often, it leads to deeper connection, just not in the way we expect. For me, it’s been befriending myself. I have been mostly an extrovert and derived energy from connecting with others, but the path of self-realization has been about spending time with myself. Then, realizing that there is an infinite source of energy within ourselves, we look inward, deep down in our souls. Then it doesn’t feel lonely anymore when through this light we see our purpose in life.

Confronting the Unknown

Letting go means entering the unknown. And the unknown is scary—there are no maps, no guarantees. We prefer the predictable, even when it limits us. Renunciation is an act of radical faith: stepping into the mystery of life, trusting that what we lose was never ours to begin with. I realized what I renunciated are my illusions, the sheaths of ego. These are the attachments that fed my ego. It feels lighter now. But it still is a journey, and a difficult one to tread.

Letting Go of Pleasure and Comfort

We equate happiness with pleasure—food, comfort, recognition, intimacy. Renunciation asks: Can you be content without them? It’s not about denial but about releasing the compulsive need. Still, the idea of giving up these comforts feels like losing joy, even though joy, ironically, may grow in their absence. What grows in their absence is inner peace. I realized the pleasures derived from selfish desires are fleeting and stimulate only our senses, not nourish our souls. The happiness we get from these sensory pleasures and comforts is not lasting. They cause a craving for more, which is an endless cycle. That is greed that makes us want more and more.

The realization that dawned upon me is that we don’t need a lot to be truly happy. True happiness comes from inner peace. When we are free from stress and anxiety. What causes the stress is our expectations from our selfish desires. When the desire is to serve others selflessly, there is no stress. That is the state if we can reach transcends us to eternal happiness.

Renunciation vs. Repression

Sometimes we confuse renunciation with repression. But true renunciation isn’t about forcing ourselves to suppress desires. It’s about insight: seeing clearly what no longer serves, and releasing it naturally. Fear arises when we confuse this process with self-punishment. But real renunciation feels freeing, not heavy. What I experienced was renunciation of worldly pleasures and attachments is truly liberating. It is not a straightforward path because not only we who are working with our inner selves in this process but also with family and societal pressures. That is tough, but the journey is rewarding.

The Ego’s Last Stand

Our ego is terrified of renunciation because it thrives on attachment, identity, and separation. The moment we try to let go, it throws up fear, doubt, distraction—anything to keep us tethered. The fear we feel isn’t a sign we’re doing something wrong. It’s the ego protecting itself. The journey of renunciation is watching our ego like a witness. When we see through our ego, it loses its grip on us. It knows we can understand it and its intentions.

Why It’s Still Worth It

Renunciation is scary because it asks us to grow beyond who we think we are. But on the other side of that fear is peace. There’s a stillness, a clarity, a love that doesn’t depend on anything or anyone. When we release ourselves, not forcibly but truthfully, we find a self that remains unshaken. It’s only when we of our own free will renunciate our attachments that we truly become free. Liberated. This is my journey that I have embarked on. It is a source of immense inner peace for me to tread this path and in this journey help others realize it as well.

Conclusion on Why Renunciation is Scary

Renunciation isn’t about rejecting the world. It’s about releasing the clinging that keeps us small. Yes, that’s why renunciation is scary—because it’s powerful. It takes courage. But those who walk that path often find something deeper than what we gave up: freedom, presence, and a love that’s limitless. It’s been a journey for me so far. I know it is difficult. This is the only path to my salvation and liberation.