Mindfulness

One of the most popular words at this American moment is “mindfulness”. In classrooms, yoga sessions and self-help books, the benefits of calm, thoughtful, focused thinking are being promoted. (Note: I am an advocate of rational thinking).

At the same American moment, it appears as though a large number of our citizens have lost their minds. To them, lies are truth, science is fantasy and hatred is a patriotic value. In other words, a mindless movement is afoot. The Wall Street Journal recently referred to our times as “The Golden Age of Brainlessness”.

These wide contradictions are mind-boggling. The mindfulness people are thinking each moment on how to be kind to everyone and everything. They feel guilt if the steps they take, the food they eat and the words they say are not purposeful. The mindless ones are working hard to negate everything but themselves. It’s yin and yang; polarization on steroids.

This craziness should not come as a total surprise. Americans are known for taking everything to extremes…extreme sports, extreme size houses, extreme consumption and now, extreme thinking.

The million dollar question is how do we get this madness to stop and bring the country together again. Our brains have gotten us in a lot of trouble. Perhaps it is time to turn off our busy minds for a while each day and turn on our eyes. Nature heals. Watching the sunset every day, walking in parks and woods, observing backyard wildlife, noting the turn of the seasons might be the therapy we need. Doing nothing is greatly underrated.