Activiteit
SG - The Meaning of Mindfulness: Reflecting on its Value in Times of Stress, Poverty, Conflict and Climate Change
What does the presence of mindfulness in our practice and discourse reflects about ourselves, the world we live in, and how we believe we can deal with the challenges of our time?
This event was originally scheduled for last spring, but had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
About The Meaning of Mindfulness: Reflecting on its Value in Times of Stress, Poverty, Conflict and Climate Change
After its popularity rise in the West over the past years, mindfulness seems to have become mainstream. So it might be time to ask: What is this mindfulness we are talking about? What is this full mind mindfulness speaks of? Is it about control or letting go? Is it a practice of being or of doing? Is it a semi-religious disposition or should we see it as a useful lifehack? Is it an egocentric practice of looking inwards, or does it rather make us more connected and sensitive to the world around us? Could it be a key to real societal transformation, or does it actually deflect us from addressing societal challenges and injustices by individualising and depoliticising structural problems?
Tonight we will discuss the seemingly paradoxical nature of mindfulness, and explore what its wide-spread presence in our practice and discourse reflects about ourselves, the world we live in, and how we believe we can deal with the challenges of our time. Join essayist Sanne Bloemink, psychologist Arthur Eaton and novelist Nina Polak for a thought-provoking dialogue!
About series ‘Mindfulness: Beyond the Hype?’
Will you become a better person after some mindfulness therapy? Is the world going to be a better place if more people are more mindful? Mindfulness has been a hype in the West for a while now, but what are we actually talking about?
In this series, we trace back the origins of mindfulness and discuss its current-day manifestations, explore its mechanisms and effects, and reflect on its societal meaning and role. And what can the popularity of mindfulness reveal about contemporary society? What is the value of this practice of attentiveness and rest in our current world?
About the speakers
