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Forum: Opinion Topic: Mindfulness started by: stardust14 Posted by stardust14 on Sep. 07 2015,1:12 pm
We must be more mindful. So says Jon Kabat-Zinn, a popular teacher of Zen who was featured on 60 Minutes. Zinn claims Americans are practicing Zen too much in the Japanese style---too rigid and structured. So he invites yuppies from Silicon Valley to a palatial retreat in the mountains to practice mindfulness---for a hefty fee. At one point the yuppies are asked to give up their electronic gadgets for a brief time, apparently the greatest sacrifice asked of them. Then meditation begins where participants are taught to "live in the moment". So when they return to Silicon Valley or elsewhere they are "presently aware" each time they sell their souls for gain, which in turn helps their spiritual well-being. Ironically, on the same 60 Minutes program, there was a biography of a Franciscan monk now bishop of the Boston area, appointed by Pope Francis. The Franciscans own nothing in this world, pledging vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, serving the poor. Quite opposite from the worldly money-hungry capitalists seeking "mindfulness" from Zinn. Which reminds me of a paragraph from Huxley's "Brave New World". "And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there’s always soma to give you a holiday from the facts. And there’s always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past you could only accomplish these things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now, you swallow two or three half-gramme tablets, and there you are. Anybody can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle. Christianity without tears—that’s what soma is." Zinn is peddling prescriptions of soma, much like the many modern forms of Western Christianity. And Americans love it. Posted by Botto 82 on Sep. 07 2015,6:23 pm
Christianity doesn't fit in with today's movement towards radical individualism. Add to that the fact that almost every Godless, corrupt political official claims some level of devotion to Jesus, and, well, you get what I mean. When the economy utterly collapses, and it will, you'll see who follows the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. Posted by stardust14 on Sep. 08 2015,2:16 am
Let's hear it for the revolution away from establishment towards individualism. Sounds great. But it can be devastating on communities, human society. Various individuals will vote for a particular candidate for many different reasons, most likely selfish ones. It's no wonder then these weak politicians become corrupted. We end up blaming the effect(weak politicians) and not the cause(corrupt voting). Few people in this country want to know or will admit the depth of corruption. Definitely not limited to politicians or the 1%. Even well known progressive thinkers, politicians, will not approach this issue. Extracting corrupt elites would happen IF an honest public existed. But what do we do with a corrupt public? There must be several generations now that show little interest in community. And it shows. |