# Mind the Mindfulness Gap By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-06-20 Mindfulness is the response to mindlessness. But constant mindfulness is exhausting and time-consuming. Being intentional and mindful of every decision and action will quickly drain one's ability to do anything meaningful. Furthermore, the deeper you go down the mindfulness path, you'll realize just how much there is to be mindful about. For example, is one mindful of breathing? What about the source of one's emotions? What about how one's shoes fit or how the wind blows? Sensory overload. Additionally, we can only focus on some of those things at a time. We quickly switch from one to the other, and we will likely forget at least one thing we should be mindful of. In a world full of mindlessness, mindfulness is a worthy aspiration. Those who exclusively advocate that mindfulness and related activities (e.g., yoga, meditation, drum circles, etc.) as the solution to the world's problems only have half of the equation correct. Understanding and controlling oneself is the first step, but getting one's inner life together won't solve systemic problems. Furthermore, these problems wouldn't be resolved even if everyone's inner life was harmonious. Assholes would just be enlightened and informed assholes, which is worse than the garden variety asshole. The other half of the equation is external to oneself: solidarity. This requires understanding the broader human condition and caring about others. With honest and ironic sincerity: mindfulness is a necessary yet entirely selfish act. If one only practices mindfulness but does not look outward, one is selfish for all the wrong reasons and lives in one's self-generated and imaginary world. The deeper one goes into exclusive mindfulness, the further one gets from their fellow humans and making progress promised by mindfulness. Again, ironic sincerity and a paradox worth unpacking. #### Related Items [[Mindfulness]] [[Thinking]] [[Solidarity]] [[Society]] [[Progress]] [[Assholes]] [[Delusions]]