
Is Mindfulness Meditation Bullshit? - pdog
https://www.wired.com/2017/08/the-science-and-philosophy-of-mindfulness-meditation/
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tehramz
It amazes me how many negative comments there are about it here. There's
scientific evidence that it's beneficial. Maybe it's not for you, but it's
certainly helped me in my everyday life and it's wasn't something pushed onto
me by my employer, but something recommended to me by a friend when I was
going through a rough (somewhat irrational) time in my life. It helped me get
through that but it's been even more helpful as time has gone on. So for me,
it's not BS at all.

And to the comment above about "doing something more productive with your
time". Would you say the same thing about exercise? For me, it's like exercise
for my brain. I also feel similar after meditation as I do after a good
workout. Working on myself in my opinion, is probably the most productive
thing I can do.

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chillacy
The article doesn't claim that it doesn't work, it merely decries the
secularization of meditation.

> All of which raises a question: Is mindfulness meditation, as it’s practiced
> by millions of Westerners, bullshit? Not bullshit in the sense of being
> worthless. Even Adam Grant admits that meditation has benefits and that, for
> some people, it’s the best way to get them. But has meditation practice
> strayed so far from its Buddhist roots that we might as well just call it a
> therapy or a hobby... Is there any good reason—in ancient Buddhist
> philosophy or for that matter in modern science—to consider mainstream
> mindfulness practice truly spiritual?

~~~
pmoriarty
The article starts by asking those provocative questions. It's important to
note that they're questions, though, not answers.

The author then goes on to say:

 _"...the average mindfulness meditator is closer to the ancient contemplative
tradition, and to transformative insights, than you might think. Though things
like stress reduction or grappling with melancholy or remorse or self-loathing
may seem “therapeutic,” they are organically connected to the very roots of
Buddhist philosophy. What starts out as a meditation practice with modest aims
can easily, and very naturally, go deeper. There is a kind of slippery slope
from stress reduction to profound spiritual exploration and radical
philosophical reorientation, and many people, even in Silicon Valley and on
Wall Street, are further down that slope than they realize."_

~~~
chillacy
Thus fulfilling Betteridge's law of headlines

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taheca
I have ADD. I find Mindfulness to be extremely helpful in getting my mind
focused for work.

I find it extremely helpful in regulating emotions, especially during times of
heightened stress (i.e having small children freaking out on you, and acting
appropriately).

Whether you hate the word or not, mindfulness, meditation, zen, don't discount
the activity.

There is zero downside to becoming more self aware.

~~~
PeanutCurry
How much of it would you define as meditation in the traditional sense? I've
got ADHD(is it just ADD now? I know one got lumped into the other) too and I
do a lot of introspection but it tends to be during intermittent times in my
day like when I'm wandering around for lunch or going for a jog/walk. I can't
really do the iconic sit down and cross my legs thing, I get antsy. But when
I'm on the move but not trying to keep myself mentally oriented it's pretty
easy to zone out and think about my life and how it might relate to the way
I've been feeling at the time.

~~~
jwdunne
I think ADD is now just ADHD. ADHD without hyperactivity is called ADHD
predominantly inattentive.

As for meditation, there's a lot of value in practicing sitting still without
fidgeting, by focusing on one thing and, most importantly, bringing the
attention back when the mind wanders.

This builds up strength in typical problem areas such as racing thoughts,
impulsiveness, restlessness.

The only thing that's difficult is remembering to do it and building a habit.
It doesn't help there and that's one thing that is a big problem for me,
perhaps you and many others with ADHD!

The mindfulness prescription for ADHD is a great book :)

~~~
PeanutCurry
I'll check the book out! Admittedly I do have trouble with remembering to
practice my mindfulness exercises semi-often but it's from the reverse end of
the spectrum. I was lucky enough to get diagnosed when I was young so I've
been able to realiably maintain my prescription (I've heard adults who get
diagnosed have trouble getting prescriptions in helpful doses) medication
which is a great help but can cause me to tunnel vision tasks that don't
require that level of attention if I'm not careful to monitor if I'm working
productively.

~~~
jwdunne
It's still something I struggle with. I remember medication now but still
forget about once a week. Too many close calls. Meditation is worse because it
requires a good handful of time. Knocking back some tabs takes no time at all.

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DrScump
Actual title: "Is Mindfulness Meditation a Capitalist Tool or a Path to
Enlightenment?

Previously posted under its URL title, "The Science and Philosophy of
Mindfulness Meditation", here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15000669](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15000669)

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reading-at-work
I find that when a headline poses a yes/no question, the answer is usually
"no."

~~~
whacker
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headline...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines)

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deathanatos
Yes.

Surrounding workers with the noise, distractions, disease, and lack of privacy
of an open office environment, and then telling them that — if they only
practiced mindfulness for a few minutes a day, how much less stressed they'd
be! — is grade A capitalist BS: the cost of mindfulness tutorials is < the
perceived cost of better real estate. (And I use perceived, as I think most
companies are weighing only the actual cost of the real estate; they are not
considering the cost of lost productivity.)

If employers weren't stressing their employees so much, so unnecessarily,
perhaps mindfulness would not be so needed?

(I write this on a 1 hour (one-way) train ride from work, for which the
majority of the ride there was no available seating.)

(I will admit to not having read the entire article yet. But the above
occurred to me, and felt relevant. Perhaps mindfulness works; the author seems
to have gotten something from it. I never have.)

~~~
tehramz
Do you do nothing other than work? Your comment implies that it's only a way
to deal with work in a toxic environment. It's rather shallow to act like
that's the only benefit and also a straw man.

Maybe it's not for you, but it's definitely helped me in everyday life, not
just with work stress. Also, I didn't start done this path due to my employer
suggesting it.

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ahugebeach
I lean towards yes, but only for me.

I suspect biological diversity also applies to our minds (mental diversity).

Slatestarcodex often talks about psychotropics affecting people differently.

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PaulHoule
I certainly hate the word. There is someone I know who talks about
"mindfulness" all the time, especially before he walks into an open pit.
Anxious people have minds that are "full" of junk and would be better off
making them empty.

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gipp
I can't make heads or tails of your comment. What is "walk into an open pit"
here?

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PaulHoule
Seriously. This guy talks about mindfulness just before he walks into an open
pit. He's really done it! Talking about mindfulness, for him, is a substitute
to really paying attention to his environment.

~~~
dTal
I downvoted you because you talked about mindfulness instead of paying
attention to your environment.

Please reread the comment you just replied to.

