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There's also the problem that "mindfulness" is itself obfuscated to mean something specific about autonomy, individual power, and personal freedom. This is a pr

There's also the problem that "mindfulness" is itself obfuscated to mean something specific about autonomy, individual power, and personal freedom. This is a problem because it assumes attention occurs within a fixed cultural and economic framework as an individual commodity that can be traded. It's very transactional. The practice of attention beyond what the mindfulness movement has co-opted includes attention to the ethical and ontological structure underlying our experiences. It is subversive in the sense that deep attention requires questioning assumptions. That's something the purveyors of distractions would prefer to discourage.

dottjt 3y ago
I don't personally see that. What you're saying to me, feels like an interpretation of what you think mindfulness is. Which is perfectly valid, it's just I've never personally associated mindfulness with any of the things you describe.
- cratermoon 3y ago
  > I've never personally associated mindfulness with any of the things you describe What is mindfulness, to you? What sorts of practices and contexts do you experience as mindfulness?
  - dottjt 3y ago
    For me mindfulness is about being present and aware of myself (including my sensations, thoughts etc.) and my surroundings (arguably the same thing as myself, since we are the ones perceiving) in the present moment. I genuinely don't go beyond that. Otherwise it overcomplicates itself, which is also when you then to lose it in the long term. Being aware is the action. It's not a particularly complicated thing, in 99% of contexts it's about looking at things through a curious lens. Paying attention. Observing, without judging. From an implementation point of view, I evaluate myself based on how mindful I managed to be during specific moments/activities during the day i.e. brushing my teeth, working etc. I think where a lot of people go wrong is that they continue to evaluate their day based on what they achieved or what goals were met. That's one of the quickest ways to dissolve mindfulness and forget about it entirely.

dottjt 3y ago

I don't personally see that. What you're saying to me, feels like an interpretation of what you think mindfulness is. Which is perfectly valid, it's just I've never personally associated mindfulness with any of the things you describe.

cratermoon 3y ago
> I've never personally associated mindfulness with any of the things you describe What is mindfulness, to you? What sorts of practices and contexts do you experience as mindfulness?
- dottjt 3y ago
  For me mindfulness is about being present and aware of myself (including my sensations, thoughts etc.) and my surroundings (arguably the same thing as myself, since we are the ones perceiving) in the present moment. I genuinely don't go beyond that. Otherwise it overcomplicates itself, which is also when you then to lose it in the long term. Being aware is the action. It's not a particularly complicated thing, in 99% of contexts it's about looking at things through a curious lens. Paying attention. Observing, without judging. From an implementation point of view, I evaluate myself based on how mindful I managed to be during specific moments/activities during the day i.e. brushing my teeth, working etc. I think where a lot of people go wrong is that they continue to evaluate their day based on what they achieved or what goals were met. That's one of the quickest ways to dissolve mindfulness and forget about it entirely.