Mindfulness

We live in a society that for centuries has been challenged by the bromide and delusion that "All Men are Created Equal." Since its foundation, our country has been tested by three juggernauts - slavery, usurpation of territories, and puritanism, or if you will, imposition of unwelcome, often pernicious, dogmas, all of which have led to the belief in white supremacy.

The thesis proposed here is that through mindfulness, we can become aware of who we are as Homo sapiens and begin to acknowledge that we are selfless, or as my philosophy professor friend facetiously used to say, "We are nothing but little blasts of flatulence in a big cesspool of humanity." We must recognize that all of us descend from the same maternal womb and that our purpose in life is to be happy, make others happy, and alleviate the suffering of those who suffer. Anything else we do in life is for naught or at least nothing more than trying to reach heightened levels of well-being. 

Mindfulness uses a combination of mindfulness meditation, body awareness, and yoga to help people become more mindful. The program has been found to be beneficial in reducing the pernicious effects of stress, inducing relaxation, and improving the quality of life, but it does not help prevent or cure physical disease. While MBSR has its roots in spiritual teachings, the program itself is secular. Since then, the application of mindfulness in medicine for the treatment of a variety of conditions in both healthy and unhealthy people has expanded at a worldwide level. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as: "...the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally. "With all that being said, despite all of the discrimination that has been going on in our country since it was founded, no lives will matter until black lives matter.