The Mindfulness Conspiracy

The Guardian has an article entitled The Mindfulness Conspiracy. I'm honestly getting a little tired of people generating articles about subjects they that ends up being reinventing the wheel. I dismissed the article when I read someone thought it was clickbait. Clickbait is such an important concept. I find myself clicking on links that never contain the photo on the original link and ends up being a slide show. I don't click on slide shows any more. Just can't do it no matter how cool all the old photos are. I'm also struck by the line from Lenon, "nobody told me there would be days like these."

The subheadline is, "It is sold as a force that can help us cope with the ravages of capitalism, but with its inward focus, mindful meditation may be the enemy of activism." Right there I disagree. I think of the wonderful book Time To Stand Up by Thanissara.

Taking care of yourself is profoundly revolutionary and supports the revolution, despite what Ronald Purser, the author of the article, says. I would also suggest that turning inward ultimately helps people to tune into injustices in the world, and mindfulness can focus one's energies for change. The Bodhisattva ideal is all about helping others. The idea that unhappiness resides within us doesn't mean that we don't need to seek to redress injustice outside of us. Understanding the barriers to metta, compassion and sympathetic joy is incredibly revolutionary. I would argue that that is the work that needs to be done by those in the yang of politics who's policies lead to the death of Americans. Just to pick one example, our love of guns leads to the murder of 350 children every year.

I suppose there is the antidote to all this mindfulness rediscovery. Some people have adverse reactions. Often people who are repressing things, or unstable mental structures that come down with change. The problems with people on intense retreats are often that people are not supported through the intense times. I didn't tell my preceptor that I had a deep meditative experience and other meditation problems. But I've learned along the way, and I'm not impatient to iron out all my wrinkles. I just learned an idea that helps me with compassion meditations. The world where you have a guru who sniffs out all your problems is perhaps more spiritual materialism or good luck.

I don't really know if there was a time of deep friendships and deep human interactions. You could make the case that technology has taken us away from that. I don't know if either of those thoughts are true. Objectivity about mind is one gain in meditation. I already had epistemic character, but it took it to another psychological level.

Assuming mindfulness is a "magic panasea" isn't a great place to start. If there's one thing about mindfulness, I've come to realize, there are no magic panaseas.

"Mindfulness zealots" tend to be people who have decided to make a career out of what they love. Purser writes, "And yet mindfulness zealots believe that paying closer attention to the present moment without passing judgment has the revolutionary power to transform the whole world. It’s magical thinking on steroids."

Perhaps he is attacking mindfulness without the Buddhism, and it's community, ethical structure, the history of the Bodhisattva ideal? He says, "Mindfulness is nothing more than basic concentration training." Um, I don't think so. Oh, what he is talking about is secular mindfulness, which is often used to lure in wary Christians who worry about betraying their families. Meanwhile nuns and priests go on retreat and realize something was really missing in their spiritual practice. If nothing at all, with just mindfulness you might become aware that you need ethics, community and positive goals that don't hurt other people. Did he go along to a Sith meditation class?

"The neoliberal order has imposed itself by stealth in the past few decades, widening inequality in pursuit of corporate wealth." It's hard to argue that we have not taken a step back in inequality recently, all the indicators I've read about suggest that things are getting more unequal. To pick out mindfulness as the culprit, well, that does feel like clickbait.

"Stress has been pathologised [sic] and privatised, and the burden of managing it outsourced to individuals." Um, that's been going on since dot.

Taking responsibility of one's life does not conflict with looking at the larger forces with society. He's buying into the either/or dichotomy of the yin and yang of politics. We can tell people to take responsibility for their lives, and work on the greater forces. Conservative would have you not work on the larger forces, and buy into this false dichotomy. Work on individual forces and larger forces. It's the same claptrap of saying that psychotherapy blames the victim. No, it empowers the victim, and you can also wake up to work on the larger forces.

Here is the hedge that totally undercuts his point: "But none of this means that mindfulness ought to be banned, or that anyone who finds it useful is deluded. Reducing suffering is a noble aim and it should be encouraged." Now all of a sudden? Not sure if he's aware of all the good done by spiritual communities in the world. In fact by realizing our inter-being, it's hard to imagine what he is talking about, except in the either/or dichotomy of the yin and yang of politics.

It's hard to imagine a "mindfulness industry" being such a force in society. How about the "social work industry"? That one tuned me into the suffering of the poor, and how unfair and blaming the victim it is, how larger forces grind people into dust sometimes. I met a social worker once who thought psychotherapy was easy, changing the larger forces was hard. Great, you focus your energies where you think it will do the most good. But you don't lift yourself up by putting others down. Again not either/or.

So many phrases, "so-called mindfulness revolution". I know so many people that will disagree with this article. One of the fetters is the fetter of superficiality--thinking that rites and rituals are ends in and of themselves. I think McMindfulness is really just superficiality.

The franchising of mindfulness is blanding it of idolatry so Christians don't get twitchy. Anyway, you bring your ethical system to whatever you do. You can teach mindfulness all you want without an ethical system attached, but even so I think humans have a natural ethical sense that can't be gotten rid of. I would prefer to beat the drum of veganism that in my opinion is the largest personal act you can do to improve the world. No mention of that.

Superficiality and spiritual materialism are well known problems. Keep fighting against them. "because what it offers is so easily assimilated by the market, its potential for social and political transformation is neutered. " So don't neuter it. Did you really think the revolution would come from an industry? It's like he feels the revolution industry has been sidetracked. It's kind of funny to even imagine the revolution industry. I see revolution as lead by woke individuals or just ideas having their time in a widespread way.

When I read, "A truly revolutionary mindfulness would challenge the western sense of entitlement to happiness irrespective of ethical conduct." I think about how you have to promise toys to children to get them out of the burning house, but once they get outside, what they find isn't toys, but is so much better. Selling Buddhism through happiness is misguided but does capitalize on a psychological research obsession of a few years ago. I would argue that revolutions are lead not by angry people but by people who fight injustice and can keep their equanimity.

"Perhaps worst of all, this submissive position is framed as freedom." I think facing our minds is profoundly unsubmissive.

His critique of neoliberalism is fine. Unfortunately the conflation of mindfulness collaboration isn't really proved. But it got a long post out of me, so for that I am grateful. But look up Joanna Macy and then tell me mindfulness isn't about everyone and everything. It's called Systems Theory baby.

On a positive note (the world really is getting better) Bhutan is supporting female monastics, countering valuing just men. The good work done by Bhutan Nuns Foundation.