MINDFULNESS: Is It Deep or Dumb? - Wisecrack Edition

[@chepulis]

You've convinced me. I'm deleting my mindfulness apps and replacing them with Raid Shadow Legends. Thank you!

[@Paul-he8uu]

(Noob Noob voice from Rick and Morty) God Damn!

[@MrBlodhund]

Start doing without an app. Everyday. The scientific evidence of it’s effect are crystall clear

[@chepulis]

@@MrBlodhund Yes. I've been playing Raid Shadow Legends without the app for months, and i'm already addicted to microtransactions. Now i'll finally be able to feed my addiction with immaterial gems!

[@MrBlodhund]

Stasys Čhepulis I talked about meditation. Don’t use an app

[@anewspinonthings]

MrBlodhund thanks man I know am doing it without app great game. RaiB shoedem gledgindes has big graphics! All the better for shoving digital gems down my pie hole. I scream at all of my friends about (insert game title here) Baid shoedem legendary. They play now and never stop

[@mynameisreza1]

I don't meditate so I can delude myself from my problems, I meditate so that I can confront my problems with more clarity and patience.

[@discobacon5160]

Same for me. I find meditation useful to help me think clearly about issues and approach them from a less ego-centered point of view. However, I still agree with the thesis of the video that company-suggested (soon to be mandated?) engagement into mindfulness shifts the responsibility to the individual.

[@viniciush.6540]

I think silent meditation is best when paired with the teachings of Buddhism. Even when using apps to help the practice be more consistent for beginners.

[@milascave2]

One Buddhist teacher said that "The way people talk about mindfulness now makes it sound like the Buddha talked about the noble one fold path." Of course, he talked about the noble eightfold path, and it includes ethics and compassion. Developing concentration without ethics and compassion can have various effects, but concentration can indeed making you better at doing anything, regardless of whether or not doing that thing is good. So yes, snipers can use it to kill more efficiently, and corporations to develop workers better at work, even if that work destroys the world. I won't say that the mindfulness movement is bad, I'm sure that it has helped many people. But concentration without ethics or compassion is a neutral tool. Like a knife, it can be used to cut bread, or to cut flesh.

[@orancarin3594]

Or to cut through the origins of suffering. ;) great reply! great teacher.. B Allan Wallace i guess?

[@theturtwig50]

As someone who was a Buddhist, this is so very true. People make mindfulness suit them rather than use it as a tool to help the world

[@spa-peggymeatballs4861]

Said eloquently. I agree. As a skeptic, the granola style it’s associated with has made me wary. Like you said, I’m sure it’s done good, but I’m also sure it’s overhyped and misused (mainly to make money)

[@chanmang]

I would more than willingly call it bullshit. I had a consoulor completely disregarde my personal needs by throwing a mindfulness workbook at me and tell me to meditate.

[@footballfactory8797]

Well said

[@augustgreig9420]

>3:28 >The purpose of mindfulness is to focus on sensory perception in order to prevent useless thoughts and emotions from occurring This is completely wrong and a common misperception. The goal is not to stop thoughts and emotion, but rather not to identify with them. The purpose of mindfulness is to focus on sensory perception in an unprejudiced way, so that when thoughts and emotions arise naturally (as they almost ALWAYS DO), we are able to observe them in the same way. The purpose of meditation is to put yourself in a position so there are minimal distractions, which is the perfect setting for thoughts and feelings to not only arise, but also carry you off into thoughts and emotions, like daydreaming, worry, anxiety, depression, anger, etc. Once you can learn to just observe thought and not attach anything to it while sitting silently and not moving at all, it will be much easier to do this in day to day life. Of course, mindfulness can and ultimately should be practiced throughout the day. Though meditation should be saved for meditation, for, as the Zen Buddhists day, “when meditating, meditate. When chopping wood, chop wood. Don’t chop wood while meditating, and don’t meditate while chopping wood.” So to reiterate, we practice these things so that we can learn not to identify with thoughts and emotions. This is a way to deflate and hopefully, ultimately dissolve the ego. We must realize that thoughts and emotions arise independently of us, that they are a product of the mind and body. But we do not have to allow them to control our behavior at all, not even for a second. We learn to view them as no more than a passing cloud, or a wave on the beach; just a natural phenomenon that will pass on its own. As we develop this perspective and skill, we will naturally have fewer thoughts and emotions, especially deleterious ones. We will naturally learn to remain in the present moment. This is why it’s good to learn a skill along with mindfulness training. From something mundane like chopping wood, to playing an instrument, to something more synergetic like Tai Chi or yoga, learning a skill will give us a way to gauge how well our mindfulness training is going. We will naturally develop the ability to get “in the zone,” or into flow state, and as we practice mindfulness meditation, we will be able to enter flow faster and stay there longer. Flow state is one of the only times you will find that you are consistently without thought or emotion. You will also find that when thoughts do arise during flow, you naturally just allow them to come and pass without giving them any attention, as 100% of your focus is on what you’re doing. I hope this helps.

[@Dbest002]

Whoo! so glad I didn't have to say anything. I would have completely failed to explain it in a coherent way. Then again, I only have the free version of the "waking up" meditation app. I can't really call myself an expert.

[@mattbrown1897]

Thanks for that. There is so much false information in this video

[@kskhoo81]

I hope u read the above, Jared. The purpose of sati is NOT prevention but a means to opening understanding to the true cause of our suffering

[@robhousehold]

Very true 💯

[@dreamspique844]

@wisecrack #wisecrack

[@robYT_]

I was genuinely like: "hm, I've never heard of this show or movie before" when i saw the title

[@uncomfortablecat]

Same

[@Predestinated1]

So glad he talked about this topic 🤗

[@MykiiMescal]

Dahlen Olson considering how many movies and shows have simple titles...

[@hellojari07]

same

[@Eutrofication]

Listening to Jared’s voice is so stress relieving

[@Gettinsketchyonbourbon]

Haha

[@coffeedude]

Wisecrack is a ploy by big companies to make us more productive

[@chanceDdog2009]

@Cara Marais you deserve 69 likes

[@tylerreinhold7431]

I listen to it to fall asleep

[@brianhudson9132]

I’ve used mindfulness to relieve my symptoms of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. It’s done more for my mental health than all the therapy and meds put together. I see your point that it can make you into a mindless zombie, but I’ve found the opposite to be true. Mindfulness makes me more connected to the world around me, and more empathetic to other people’s problems. Then, I can take what Eckhart Tolle calls “inspired action” to help others and the planet.

[@pumas2342]

No offense but religion do the same for even more people, they feel better about their lives

[@reanetsemoleleki8219]

I have two questions. What caused your depression? And how did you discover mindfulness?

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

I’m glad it worked for you! Do you ever bundle mindfulness, bhuddism, AND cognitive behavioral therapy together in your mind? I’ve always seen them as different approaches to the same thing. Mastery over ones own thoughts and feelings.

[@ericridenour322]

Thank you! Same for me. I even started a website about it. Positivity Newsletter.

[@abbeyjanegreen703]

@@pumas2342 it's origins are from Buddhism. This clip was dump not deep on mindfulness lol

[@DavidR575]

The McMindfulness stuff makes me think of the Carl Jung quote, "beware of unearned wisdom".

[@danielbrooks7764]

The thesis of this entire video makes me think that for all of the author's ability to deconstruct the world, his cynical sophistry has lead to zero self-awareness. When are we going to see a real counterargument to Maps of Meaning? I want to see Wisecrack bring on the Lobster king, and stop straw manning.

[@LancesArmorStriking]

@@danielbrooks7764 Maps of Meaning is a re-skinned, age old self-help book. It's especially ironic in that one of the rules is "Be concise in your speech" when 'The Lobster' himself is extremely verbose _and_ imprecise. I have never once seen him give a straight answer to a question. And let me guess, I'm taking him out of context?

[@danielbrooks7764]

@@LancesArmorStriking i think it's accurate for an academic to dismiss "12 Rules for Life" as a self-help book that is based on the academic work "Maps of Meaning." To call "Maps of Meaning" a self-help book, however, indicates that one didn't read it. Maps of Meaning is a work of epistemology and philosophy of mind, from which one can derive a moral philosophy. Peterson cannot be both banal and controversial at the same time; sorry, but you have to pick one.

[@zpettigrew]

"Beware of unearned ANYTHING." As Terrence Mckenna would say, "If it's unearned, you are probably in the presence of CRAP." when discussing his experiences with Yogis and Gurus in India.

[@dennistanui7085]

@@danielbrooks7764 I totally agree...and it's because he dares to be controversial that makes him "trustable"

[@alexanderhari3000]

Being mindful doesn’t mean your oblivious of the social implications. The whole point of mindfulness is to be more aware not necessarily more calm although that is a byproduct. It allows better awareness of your thoughts and lets you be critical of yourself and beliefs. If anything it can make you more determined to challenge power structures and inequality. Theres more to it than breathing to calm yourself

[@holynightwingfan4510]

That's why he argumented that minfulness, in its buddhist context, is harmful when stripped away of its ethics

[@zemoxian]

Holy Nightwing fan Is it really harmful? I think the problem would be people without ethics. You can be ethical without mindfulness. I think the criticism is really that people aren’t substituting their own ethics with Buddhist ethics. Toothpaste or exercise or any number of ethically neutral things can improve your life or health. I don’t think people would mind not getting an ethical system along with brushing their teeth. I’d also be wary of a employer pushing an ethical system on their employees beyond what’s necessary for work. Reminds me of a sheriff I heard about recently, forbidding unmarried couples living together. I don’t think any employers should be that intrusive in people’s personal lives. Sure a murderer might meditate. But he might also brush his teeth. I don’t see Colgate or the Calm app being responsible for his misbehavior.

[@VeryAverageGirl]

@@zemoxian That's not the point. Yes mindfulness has the goal to make you self aware but that's not discussed in this video. What is, is the fact that mindfulness is able to make you feel more comfortable in ugly situations and focusses on the reaction you give to situations, that's 100% a fact. This however can be a bad factor if it makes you forget the problems surrounding you. Mad and irritated people are emotional and instable yes, but revolutions don't start with people that calmy asked for it. Anger actually can really benefit the need for social reform.

[@zemoxian]

Luke Lechte I’m aware of that. I was remarking about a smaller point that was mentioned about Buddhists concern about removing mindfulness from its context. You lose the ethical framework that you get from Buddhism. So, saint or sinner, mindfulness makes you feel better about yourself. I’d argue that it’s ok to get the emotional benefits of mindfulness without the extra baggage of the ethical system. I already possess my own ethics, philosophy, etc. I’m not concerned about repeated reincarnations, for instance, since I don’t expect to exist after death. So, what we get is a specific technique that improves health without a lot of extraneous info. I think this may apply to the larger corporate point as well. Sure, the corporations may deploy training in a cynical attempt to quell rebellion. But, they’re not in control of what the workers do with that training. I imagine that it’s possible to empower people as well as pacify them. Some might use it to relieve their stress so that they’re better able to affect change. Again, that comes from their internal sense of right or wrong, not from the breathing exercises. There’s probably much more important factors than mindfulness at work that disincentivizes dissent or unionization or other actions. I’ve been at the same job for 15 years. I suppose that if I started meditation, I might get over my stress about job hunting and start looking for greener pastures.

[@frankm.2850]

Jamal Wills an excellent argument against the mcmindfulness trend. Mindfulness ISN’T like brushing your teeth. In its original context it’s meant to alter your understanding of the world. Properly practiced it should encourage working for social justice. It corporations actually taught mindfulness they’d see more people not putting up with their shit, which they can’t afford, hence the surgical removal of mindfulness from its wider context. There’s actually a disciple of the Buddha named Angulimala who was arguably a serial murderer. Dude was so dangerous the local armed forces were sent to kill him. He ended up giving up that life, becoming a Buddhist monk and being given the name harmless. It was the teachings in their entirety that did it, not just meditation.

[@Sergemfk]

“We live in a society” - Jared , just couple of minutes ago

[@TheTrueCaptainAwesome]

A mindful society of gamers makes me wanna puke.

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

@@TheTrueCaptainAwesome rather a mindless society of gamers then?

[@DropBearJroc]

Most idiotic quote ever

[@danlamprich4874]

15:33

[@PsychopathUltimate]

"Has mindfulness made us into self-absorbed zombies?" "Here's a word from our sponsor!"

[@superashish006]

There is no sponsor in this video? :/

[@ArtCore616]

LOL that is the weird thing about mindfulness and meditation in general, you start detaching from a lot of BS you just stop caring

[@lxv97]

I mean, youtubers have to eat too.

[@PsychopathUltimate]

@@lxv97 KZbinrs, sure. Wisecrack? Not anymore.

[@TheDaxter999]

Mindfulnes' is not about avoiding negative thoughts, it's about detaching from them, but they'll always be there. It's about witnessing them and not panicking, that's where the stress relief comes from. Jut letting them be. All the spiritual bs and monetization currently around it is another topic.

[@VasBaev]

"all I have.. are negative thoughts"

[@HaraldHusum]

@Damian Vite This will sound needlessly nit-picky, so sorry about that, but the word "detach" has a lot of bad connotations within western translations of buddhist readings. The word "detachment" is often understood as synonymous with avoidance, while "non-attachment" is what we strive for in meditation. Non-attachment means being in contact with and aware of something, while not attaching to it. Other than that I agree with you.

[@ailidh-Bcn]

avoiding and detaching sounds awfully the same, In both cases you do nothing to solve the problem that caused the negative thoughts or stress, you just ignore it. and like he said if the company itself that gives you a mindfulness course, it's like saying we are not doing nothing about the working conditions that make you have negative thoughs, do a course and learn to live with it. that said, mindfulness is useful in many situations when we have negative thoughs that are not real, like worrying with things that have not happened yet or maybe never happen, or when you have an addiction to something and you are tempted, in those cases trying to fix what caused the negative though is useless, because it's a problem you created, so the best thing is to focus your mind on other things.

[@ttaaddoo111]

"Spiritual BS"?? You do know it has religious origins, right?

[@bensteinmeier7635]

@@ailidh-Bcn Detachment is understanding where you are in the moment and how you are able to effect what is causing that anger or stress. If I can change the situation in the immediate moment like telling someone something they are doing is stressing me out, then I can do something to stop that stress. But while I get angry at the actions of corrupt governments and corporations, I realize that right now I can't do anything about it yet other than basic things like voting or choosing where to shop then I leave it until I can do something about it. Otherwise, I am just unnecesarry stress onto my body which just ends my life sooner.

[@thetacopunch]

3:14 to skip the ads

[@forsaken841]

Cy Johnson thank you

[@unhaix707]

These are the true heros of society

[@kenthehobo]

You are the deepest of all

[@SpoopySquid]

Doing God's work

[@whorhythmic]

Gods work

[@TwinAquarius484]

"women were told to stay in bed for weeks and not have any contact with entertainment or family" What doctor can prescribe this for me?

[@vincenthellsing5655]

"...Take a deep breath, focus on my voice......but first: RAID - SHADOW LEGENDS!!!!!!!!" 1:38

[@Styre69]

Long video short. As a recovering drug addict, yes mindfulness does work. And I've now found it helpful in many areas of my life besides dealing with cravings.

[@singletona082]

I'm of the opinion your'e never entirely 'over' whatever you were addicted to and have to retain a kind of mindfulness to make sure you don't relapse into old patterns. Congratulations on climbing out of that pit. I hope life treats you better.

[@coffeedude]

They said it worked from the beginning, the video was not about that

[@Styre69]

@@coffeedude honestly I made my post about 10 seconds into the video lol.

[@nathanlevesque7812]

Calmness works. Attributing that to mindfulness as a whole is an act of guessing.

[@FrankTehTank96]

This is the exact boat I’m in. Going on 8 months sober and still in recovery, and mindfulness has been a cornerstone of my recovery and keeping me from using.

[@Sing4ever9]

I am a person who has anxiety and ADHD like tendencies. Mindfulness meditation and yoga has helped make my life less of a living hell because my brain runs at a million miles a minute or hyperfixates on a big or small worry that may or may not be rational. As a person who cannot access expensive medication and sees a counselor twice a month, I had to find other ways to cope with anxiety on my own. This meant free mindfulness apps like Stop, Breathe, Think (which asks you before each session how you feel physically and mentally to recommend practices) or free yoga channels like Yoga with Adrienne (who I see in this video...). The trick was I wasn't being blamed for my own stress or anxiety and being made to shift that blame to me, this is just a thing that happens to be physiologically and psychologically me. It has been for a long time. I just wanted to find ways that could empower me to not feel helpless to that anymore.

[@Tirannie]

Fellow ADHD’er. Since we (usually) get the added bonus of emotional disregulation, mindfulness is an incredibly important skill to have. I would almost argue the contrary to what Jared is, here. Because he used Calm as an example, so will I - the app doesn’t just focus on breathing practice. The “Daily Calm” feature focuses on a specific meditation topic every day, from dealing with conflict and stress, to approaching the people in our lives with loving kindness and compassion. I’ve never sat through a guided session that was all about breathing (with the exception of the “emergency” one, but like... that one is clearly labeled as to not be fore regular use). Further, the fact that it *is* an app made it a practice that’s way more accessible to me (I have ADHD. I need someone to remind me I’m meditating or being mindful 🤷🏽‍♀️). I guess like most things, it’s going to get used nefariously (the argument about workplaces using it really had me nodding), but there’s good to be had as well. Plus, I’d go so far as to say that while “Mindfulness TM” is being wielded for profit, it’s more of a symptom of a toxic, deregulated capitalist system and doesn’t deserve the level of ire it does in this video. We’re all living in this necrocapitalist hellscape. Leave the thing alone that helps us get through it in slightly better repair.

[@tommyg121]

Hearing Google has a mindfulness program called "search inside yourself" made me pause the video was I did a lap around my living room laughing in both disbelief and eye rolling obviousness. Great video!

[@orancarin3594]

SalesForce put a 'Mindefulness' room in every floor of their new building. The CEO bluntly admits - "It boosts productivity"! :-O FML

[@JohnMoseley]

I just keep searching inside myself and getting "no results found."

[@TravisNeilson]

I'm a silicon valley tech mindfulness idiot. I've never heard these arguments inside of my bubble. Savage, but appreciated.

[@orancarin3594]

Help your friends please. Encourage them to research deeper. Buddha-Dhrama is actually atheistic so no worries. They can stay Judeo-Christian-Muslim if the want but still have the full benefits of the full original Buddhist practice.

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

No one asked

[@composerdoh]

As a Buddhist practitioner, I was curious where you would go with this, and have to say I really appreciate you distinguishing between "McMindfulness" and Buddhist practice. My teacher recently was talking about the same issue- about how modern capitalist culture has taken mindfulness from the rest of the 8-fold path and reduced it to a commodity, which can NOT free us from our suffering, as it is not a complete path when taken apart from the other necessary pieces torte, deep peace and liberation from suffering.

[@yezzenkhazindar4830]

I thought this was interesting: “Spiritual arrogance is the ugliest of all things.... You talk about God a lot and you make me feel guilt by using that word.... That Word will poison you, if you use it to have power over me.” (Rumi)

[@everope]

That's because I'm more spiritual than you

[@WRXBase]

@everope - Good try JP Spears. We found your alt acct. ;)

[@peculiarlittleman5303]

I think I need that for my first and last tattoo. Thank you.

[@philosophicalharmonics3470]

Being in a mindful or meditative - also called trance - state allows us to be in the "flow" which can give us the energy buffer to cushion dickhole behavior from bosses and coworkers. It can also help us make better decisions - such as the decision to get a new job. But perhaps not just any job, but a job with an ideal work environment we never would have found on our own logistical merits. It brings in an aspect of law of attraction. LOA isn't about doing nothing while daydreaming and miracles happen, but about allowing you to be finetunely subconsciously aware of your environment in a way you normally couldn't be. The consequence is you have better options that seemingly appear out of the woodwork while you are taking actions and making decisions. These options could even center on "taking down power structures" in just the right way.

[@jazzyj7834]

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Modern day translation: "Stop worrying about the future and focus on the present. You have enough to deal with today."

[@Window4503]

In this sense, Christians walk a narrow road. On one hand, we don’t believe that mindfulness will bring a person closer to God; only Jesus can do that. But it is very biblical to think that all we have are two things: the present and eternity. Jesus has taken care of our eternal worries so all we have to think about are the present moments God gives us. So mindfulness isn’t entirely incompatible in practice, just in the spiritual claims.

[@phasingout]

As a blue collar worker you don't get access to stress relief anything. Its very much our own responsibility to deal with it. But you can't use meditation in say a loud screaming metal factory, so i instead used the absolute extreme counter I could find, stupid happy kids cartoons in my spare time. Honestly it helped me so much i was able to carry the weight of an entire workforces negativity with reserve energy to bounce around for the rest of the night. Its learning to stop taking everything so seriously. Now ive moved on from that job, it was unhealthy but it was a great time to test out the practice in poor conditions. What i mainly got out of that test was one finding an easy reset practice but most importantly understanding when i wasnt relaxed. See you can listen to feel good music and still be unconsciously shitty, if you're stressed deal with the problem if you can't, find an equal counter to balance it and just get stronger through the hardship.

[@ben2b244]

Love you Jared.....thanks for shining a light on this....i have been practicing ZaZen for over a decade .... and as a person with PTSD and Bipolar Manic Depression it is valuable beyond messure ...the practice has been the core of my foundation for living....without it i was a monster...raging the streets, homeless and angry...with Zazen i have found a center that while oscillating from time to time remains relatively balanced....while still homeless i dedicated 12+ hrs per day to siting standing walking and laying in silence and awareness...i think the real problem with western mindfulness practices is the way we westerners tend to view things that help us heal and grow....we want the pharmaceutical approach .... do something take something to fix the problem without thought or care of the repercussions....McMindfulness is like a pill..."breath and sit still for a few minutes and all your stress will wash away" but without initiating these practices on a subconscious level in our day to day activities .....it becomes nothing more than a band-aide ....while integrating the practice into every action....forges a strong moral compass and true sense of self awareness .... but even when woven into our lives seamlessly...the practice can do nothing for one who forgets the feeling 5 mins latter as they're getting back to work......... "Before Enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment chop wood carry water." we have to maintain the sense of awareness thought the day no just when you need it....its a life style choice not a pill or a insta-fix

[@McDoodle44]

Very well explained, thank you!

[@paule.2687]

I've practiced meditation for almost 2 years now, it helped me get over my porn addiction as well as improving my capacity to focus on a single task, to manage my reactions (emotions), and decision making process. Definetly recommend it but you don't need any books, apps or any of that shit, you just need to shut the fuck up for 10-15 minutes a day. Consistency and patience is the key tho, you may find it boring and you won't see any benefits for the first 2 or 3 months but they'll come and it will be worth it. The more you meditate the easier and more enjoyable it gets.

[@ailidh-Bcn]

is there a time, when you can think about nothing? I try to meditate but after 3 minutes, I'm thinking about the day after chores, the little dots I see with my eyes closed or how i'm not thinking about nothing, which is thinking. I try to let my thoughs pass, without focusing on them, but they never stop.

[@paule.2687]

@@ailidh-Bcn that's completly normal, in fact it is kinda the point, when you realize you're starting to wander and do the action of going back to blank you're basically doing a bicep curl with your mind, what you're trying to develop is your capacity to go back to a calm state, so don't be so hard on you if you start thinking stuff, just go back to your breath/blank, that's exactly the skill you're looking to develop

[@theturtwig50]

Some incense on the down low is always good too.

[@SilentClouds]

to me mindfulness means awareness; To be aware of how things affect you can never be a bad thing.

[@orancarin3594]

Awareness IS the MOST important aspect of meditation practice. Not stress relief, not cultivating calmness... but awareness. - Mingyur Rinpoche. It is not about pushing or pulling.. its not about attaching or avoiding. Just becoming aware. Thank you!

[@corgizx]

Give me mindfulness over mindlessness anyday

[@nathanlevesque7812]

You think there's a difference.

[@cappsbriley]

@@nathanlevesque7812 *insert dril tweet*

[@orancarin3594]

Today "Corporate" Mindfulness devoid out of Buddhist context, IS Mindlessness.

[@dudeonthasopha]

This is bootleg mindfulness.

[@Matt-Hazel]

Got fired for being unable to control my "emotions" and was suggested to pick up mindfulness. Its not the bipolar nor the fact that I was being paid like a wal-mart worker for a job that required an associates degree, nah, cant be.

[@lumisaurus]

Hope you are doing better now. I got sent home from work today for being too panicky.. it’s rough

[@guntherkietzer9295]

"paid like a wal-mart worker" should suffice, regardless of how much you've studied, no one should earn bad salaries

[@josueamericanistarv]

In my current job is the same. Unfair payment, terrible conditions, even worse communication, but my boss literally recommends we drink soothing teas to do our jobs. It's a fucking disgrace.

[@opheliahamilton9429]

Thank you wisecrack for once again verbalizing something I've had a feeling about without being able to explain for the past year and a half

[@laoxtreme76]

Absolutely thinkful video. Self-meditation did good in separating any emotion the world and the internet brings me. But when it becoming a tool for earning money or shift the blame to the victim, something must went wrong.

[@nickman9639]

You summed it up best “mindfulness is about making yourself calmer, not your surroundings.” That’s kind of the draw of the practice, it’s very difficult to change other people’s responses, but not as difficult to change your own response.

[@buckleycloud3962]

I'm surprised you didn't mention yoga in connection with the sanitizing tendency the West has towards Eastern practices originally intended to bring spiritual awakening (look up Yoga Sutra). You should do a video on Stoicism, it was (is?) having a cultural moment. The ethical content seems to be less downplayed, and then I realized, surprise surprise, it's because it's a Western philosophy, as if Eastern ethics were any different other than being packaged with Eastern practices.

[@essencecalligrafreak5622]

Simple mindfulness (that is free because I do it on my own) is changing my life. It's not about denying anything. That's the opposite of what it's about. And in this mad world, truly, all we have is ourselves. All we can control is ourselves. Although, it's important to bring all these realizations full-circle with action (of some sort). Avoidance is not helpful in almost any case. Mindfulness is not about being selfish, but self-care and self-love. And that's the only way we are going to actually overcome anything.

[@JulianKable]

What you described in this video is grounding techniques. Meditation involves grounding techniques, but should not be reduced to it. Beyond focusing on the present moment, it also involves the key element of compassionate and patient responsiveness to your thoughts as they intrude your consciousness, where you acknowledge them, processes them, and try to return to grounding techniques and the present moment. This is a significant part of the emotional regulation that can be developed through mindfulness meditation. Grounding techniques are effective, but largely reactive, where as mindfulness promotes emotional and mental resistance and resilience. Its not just about keeping calm, its about keeping calm in the face of also keeping conscious. The practice isn't meant to normalize toxicity, its meant to keep one aware of such things so they can take the necessary steps to respond to the toxicity in their life. I love the Deep or Dumb series, but I would be cautious of critiquing a best practice mental health therapy. This video does not do the practice justice and slanders an incredibly effective form of therapy. CBT is arguably more harmful and creates sheeple much more so than mindfulness meditation.

[@reanetsemoleleki8219]

You didn't actually watch the video did you?

[@menjolno]

Just redefine terms to make you look good. Can't accept defeat

[@washyrose5904]

Waking Up actually helped me because it was a very honest approach to mindfulness, dispelling the misconception of pop mindfulness.

[@Scarleto]

Y'all: *Looks at a technique that works and has worked for thousands of years but has been commodified in the last few by capitalism* But is it the technique that's dumb? Hmmm this framing seems off....

[@lorenzoneal1996]

As a mindfulness practicioner I think this video was well balanced and informative. Mindfulness shouldn't equal docileness nor should it be used as a means of corporate behavior training to boost business.

[@tommythomas5970]

But it does.

[@DHellfridge]

Ironic, that this video is sponsored by a game that tries to stress you into opening it every day. :big thonk:

[@andrju3916]

Off topic, but have you heard of Inside Gaming or Funhaus?

[@elikhtiger]

I'm convinced Jared intentionally shoots for ironic advertising whenever possible

[@DHellfridge]

@@elikhtiger my money is on "if you want to make a living off KZbin, you can't be too picky with your sponsors"

[@TomJones-wx5on]

Tom Jones the therapist here. I work at a mental health hospital and we use mindfulness as one of the many coping skills we encourage. This seems to me less a conversation about deep or dumb and more of a conversation about being sure we use mindfulness appropriately. Just because big companies monopolize a good thing does not discredit the benefits of that thing (think healthy eating being marketed like hell by Whole Foods). So to me we all need to me MINDFUL of how we are using certain commodities (mental health techniques included) and how we can be aware of when those things are being exploited against our collective benefit

[@skylermikalson6159]

Personally, mindfulness and lovingkindess meditation practices have helped me change the way I think in a profoundly positive way. It’s given me the awareness to see that my mom was abusive and showed me love in the wrong ways. I’m now able to turn toward self love instead of self hatred. I know how I should’ve been treated and how I should be treated. I will treat myself this way and I won’t put up with poor treatment from others. I also know how I should treat others and I’m becoming much more aware of the ways in which I am selfish and must change. Mindfulness isn’t complacency. If you think it is, you’re doing it wrong. It’s about creating stability in the face of adversity. You gain greater awareness and rationality from that stability. The point is to see even sooner that something is wrong and to be more skillful about dealing with it, as opposed to having a purely emotional reaction that is rash and destructive. You should fully accept your current circumstances not so that you never change them, but rather so that you do a better job at changing them and are a happier person while doing it.

[@jamesanthony6100]

Beautifully said. This video was honestly so one-sided and biased. Mindfulness is heavily supported as a positive thing. I've been thinking of picking up LKM myself.

[@THEGODDAMNDINOSAUR]

The video points out the potential set backs that I wasnt even aware of and im all about mindfulness. Its important to get the full scope. At the end of the video he even says mindfulness is a good thing but just like anything else dont just follow it blindly.

[@gocubs1815]

As a licences therapist, I teach my client's mindfulness and encourage usage of these apps as a tool to deal with their symptoms. What I applaud you getting at is the commoditization of the tool and how we are all ignoring the underlying problems in the first place. I see social workers making this problem all the time, they chase their clients' symptoms and forget to do work on fixing the CAUSE of the stress or anxiety in the first place. End of the day, this beats putting someone on Xanex.

[@lexscarlet]

Lol my news feed is LITTERED with "how to actually ACCEPT your indentured servitude and not worry about the little things like wanting basic human decency!" Scary thing is a lot of them are from Psychology Today.

[@HumanTypewriter]

PT?

[@lexscarlet]

@@HumanTypewriter psychology today, sorry, their blue pt icon is burned into my consciousness...

[@addammadd]

Just popping in to remind everyone that psychology, strictly speaking, is not an empirical science.

[@BygoneT]

@@addammadd No, psychology isn't a pipe dream and it's not qualitative research only.

[@MrThonny15]

I really enjoy how this channel has turned into a frequent critique of the symptoms of postmodern capitalism. It is interesting how capitalism appears to turn even the most genuine of spiritual practices into monetizable product. Something that would be part of a solution is instead used to keep an unhealthy lifestyle going. Thank you for your take on this anyway.

[@TheTrueCaptainAwesome]

"SERENITY NOW!" - Cosmo Kramer

[@kenthehobo]

...Insanity later

[@TheTrueCaptainAwesome]

@@kenthehobo *murder intensifies*

[@WRXBase]

The louder you shout it, the faster is comes.

[@JohnMoseley]

Frank Costanza, surely.

[@dannycrowley9630]

I think the main oversight of this video is what the actual science says about how mindfulness effects altruistic behavior. It’s a misconception that we have to be miserable in order to seek social justice, solutions for climate change and so on. In fact, mindfulness training has been proven to make people more generous, more willing to help, and more rational when they do it. The sort of speculative thinkpieces I’ve seen and read on this don’t typically go far into the research and as a result end up poisoning the well.

[@ElvinaLui]

As a licensed therapist that has worked in in-patient psychiatric programs as well as residential addiction treatment and court mandated counseling, I have mixed feelings about Wisecrack putting out a video like this. I'm a subscriber and long time audience of this channel, I am familiar with the thoughtfulness and good intentions of this channel. I see Wisecrack as a channel that responds to media and cultural trends from a philosophy scholar's standpoint, analyzing media and culture through the lense of all the great philosophers. It's fair that you are critiquing the commercialism of mindfulness as another plastic, cheapened version of its original form. You're right, it's been warped into a relaxation tool that serves the person's needs to cope with stress. It is supposed to be a way of thinking and living, something the person adopts and is affected by, the stress should go away because the person becomes less greedy and desperate, finds more peace about life. As a therapist, I actually would just label the tool as grounding exercises--for the person to focus on the present, to practice bringing their thoughts back to this moment, this counters the mind's tendencies to be anxious and/or depressed about the future and the past. I personally do not call this mindfulness, it is merely a grounding exercise, and it is taught that way in a wide variety of treatment programs to help people who are struggling with their mental illness. I have always felt the need to separate the grounding skill from the practice of mindfulness. The programs that do teach mindfulness, like Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and those programs go beyond relaxation and grounding methods. Those treatment methods indeed help a person reflect on their views and beliefs that drive them to lack peace, to chase social validation and material success, so those actually do match up well with the original form of mindfulness practices. It's not your fault that the world has muddled and mixed up those two things. But right now you're basically going what they are doing--you lumped them together in your critique. I also have a problem with a philosophy channel critiquing mental health treatment modalities when you aren't the ones teaching and administering the treatment to mentally ill patients. Critiquing mindfulness as a mood regulating skill is the same as critiquing any therapy method for managing mental wellness, and you're not even really doing research reviews or any qualitative or quantitative analysis. This would be like me, a non professional critiquing writers or movie directors, telling them how they are doing their job wrong, which of course non professionals do all the time, the difference is that when I talk out of my ass it doesn't dissuade mentally ill people from trusting treatment methods. This video wouldn't be a problem if it was only seen by people who casually dabble in self help. But this video is seen by people who are ill and might reach the conclusion that the current state of mindfulness is watered down and commercialized, thus dissuading them from seeing a therapist who markets mindfulness as a wellness tool. You're making it harder for therapists to bring tools to the public, just like those companies who watered it down to cash in. Could you have mentioned DBT and the distinctions like grounding techniques? If you had consulted any therapist who has worked in any in-patient program you would have been told that.

[@jk_lol9266]

As a layperson who has only heard the name "mindfulness", I wasn't dissuaded by this video. On the contrary, I plan on looking deeper into mindfulness as a result of this video. My takeaways from this video were: Mindfulness works. People are cashing in on it. Tech Companies are using mindfulness to make their employess feel better about how shitty their lives are (which again, is evidence that it works). In other words, I should practice mindfulness, but also recognize that if my boss tries to sign our office up for mindfulness training, it's probably because he doesn't want me to unionize.

[@maxhjermstad6710]

I've been practicing meditation for a decade, mostly through zazen and yoga, and it's critical for keeping me sane, healthy, and responsible. However, McMindfulness is concerning because it strips the practice of both its granularity and its broader framework. Right mindfulness is built on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and is one of eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. When we don't properly establish the foundations nor support it with its complementary practices, it becomes dysfunctional.

[@alecoreilly1456]

You guys are always able to put feelings I've had into words. Awesome video

[@dannycrowley9630]

I wish something had been mentioned about just how deep the psychotherapeutic qualities go. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy for example is the most effective treatment for treatment resistant major depressive disorder. The same is true for drug addiction. These are absolutely debilitating diseases that effect oceans of people. The costs are emotional, financial, environmental. While skepticism keeps the word mindfulness precise and meaningful, sometimes it is the best instrument, despite the bluntness of its use in so many contexts.

[@gonzalowaszczuk638]

Why does mindfulness need to "work in service of" something?

[@spijkerpoes]

It doesn't need. But it can. Like nationalism.. and since it can - it will be used

[@cv4809]

It doesn't need to, the whole video is bs

[@christophertran2433]

Good question. Do you think it already does, e.g. people's stress levels, authors/app developer's profits?

[@PhyreI3ird]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, but if it actually wasn't in service of something, that would mean it wasn't actually doing anything and was a useless practice.

[@gonzalowaszczuk638]

@@PhyreI3ird If something has a purpose by itself, it'd "work in the service of itself", let's say. If something's purpose is completely related to something else, it "works in the service" of that other subject. Mindfulness clearly has a purpose by itself: make the person stop mental autopilot; be aware of his emotions and thoughts; bring the health and mental benefits that are always mentioned; segway into deep meditation (this isn't that much of a purpose, but rather an overlap, mindfulness overlaps with meditation, and you can segway into it). This purpose is basic to the concept of mindfulness, and can be expanded for every different application of mindfulness (in a religion, for instance). None of the above imply that mindfulness is useless unless it "works in the service" of making social change, creating revolutions, etc. This video seems to imply so, without justifying it. Mindfulness just is, it is what it says it is, it does what it does. Why does it need to do more, in the subjective view of Jared?

[@ezrato]

I think the peak of wisdom is when you instinctively make a choice to look inwards to improve yourself before critiquing external issues. That's not to say that there aren't external issues, but those issues aren't always things you can solve on your own, or solve immediately. Changing yourself however is something you have access to do any time, so why not start there. So much of media today is about pointing fingers and blaming someone or something - "rage culture" has literally become a commodity. There is of course a place for unions and standing up to injustice generally, but just as self-improvement is not meant to replace this, this is not meant to replace self improvement.

[@marioAF26]

When done right, mindfulness means "respond, don't react". It doesn't mean forgetting the world, it just means being present and not letting emotions control everything.

[@therapyfornerds6020]

As a therapist who will sometimes utilize mindfulness interventions I was curious at the title of this video. But after watching it I think it is an interesting point. The apps can be helpful in reducing stress in the short term, I know several therapist who recommend the app Calm to their clients. For long term success there needs to be a focus on the causes, like difficulties at work or school. That’s when it is important to work on things like communication skills to improve self advocacy.

[@RyanKapsar]

My therapist recommended doing meditation and/or Yoga to help. I think the power of meditation comes from including therapy. Therapy allows me to get the feelings out with someone that gives me some great insight and helps me move through the issues, while Headspace (which is the app I settled on) helps me maintain between sessions. Because the mind does wonder while going through the session, it does help me process things and allows me to bring those items to my therapist.

[@gregorclegane7563]

Please do ASMR: Deep or Dumb.

[@GuyDandy]

Yes!

[@movement2contact]

Umm... Is cold deep or dumb?

[@barryblock3095]

it would be exactly as dumb as this video

[@MRayner59]

Doesn't seem that ASMR has any pretensions of being "deep" - more just a "dumb" sensory enjoyment (for those people who respond to that form of stimulation).

[@JewTube001]

It's a feeling, not an idea. You may as well do a deep or dumb on sex or on sugar.

[@FinisiusMaximus]

I've been practicing mindfulness for 4years. I found that once I realized a higher purpose, I was able to use what I have learned and continue to learn, to gravitate towards the world outside of me. Definitely is work, and good for the soul, as long as one has a true goal beyond the selfish.

[@VGM00021]

As with all things, moderation is key.

[@shimok9102]

I agree with the main criticism in the video which is that mindfulness(the way it's being practiced in the west) can prevent the person from solving the real cause of stress. But I don't think that's a good reason to stop doing it because I think it's a powerful concentration practice. So with the right attitude and aim in mind, it shouldn't stop you from solving your problems.

[@eriqvaldivia3496]

Raid Shadow Legends: Deep or Dumb?

[@KixMayne91]

I feel mindfulness should be more about analyzing the "you" in the "now". Focusing on the positives in your life currently but also being aware of the negatives, and figuring out the steps needed to make your situation better, be it speak your mind or leave. I feel it also should not be used to dwell on past short comings or get anxious about an unforeseen feature. Those should be taken into consideration but when practicing mindfulness your main focus should be the "you" and the "now", imo

[@tomasparant8901]

"If the main criticism of mindfulness is that is politically and socially flawed, that it breeds inaction and leads to the acceptance of the status quo, is there a way to practice mindfulness that could do the opposite?" Isn't mindfulness the 7th step? _Maybe_ taking a look at the previous steps of budhism would help? And not just taking the part that works on the short term?

[@nathanlevesque7812]

That would only further the argument against Buddhism.

[@nobodyinparticular8370]

To any others who are reading this, I hope this video doesn't turn you off from mindfulness. Just like somebody who takes their time to build a roof over their head, it can work. Critics are too harsh. Like the last minute of the video, it works. In a world where businesses have taken advantage of how the human mind works, just to their maximize profits at our expense, best to have a few minutes a day to be mindful. Apps commodify information to an extent, but only when you are starting out and learning. Intermediate and expert practitioners will be doing it without thinking about it. The McMindfulness kind of meditation can be a real thing for some people who think just buying something alone equals solving a problem. The simple fix is... just put the problem-solving process after a mindfulness session. Lobotomized happiness is ALWAYS only optional.

[@ak19910716]

The intro made me think I walked into another cultist advertisement trap.

[@lierdakil]

Hi. A practising (if a bit unconventional) Buddhist here. The ultimate point of "mindfulness" in Buddhism, is to achieve the state of "luminous mind", that is, the state of just "being aware of being aware" and not of anything else in particular¹. This "else" includes not only external things, but also internal ones, like thoughts, concepts, and, perhaps more importantly, the idea of "self"². By this measure, this practice can not be entirely successful if its aim is fundamentally self-serving -- at least according to Mahayana sects. Even in the state of deep "zen"-like calm and bliss, this "self" thing can be a source of anxiety (e.g. "I don't want to lose this state of calm and bliss"³). The way to avoid this pitfall, again, at least according to Mahayana sects, is to cultivate bodhicitta, which among other things, means to acknowledge the existential suffering of all living beings, not just yourself, and to strive (or at least aspire) to help everyone, not just yourself. Hence, the Buddhist way to practice mindfulness is to practice it "for the benefit of all living beings"⁴, not "to relieve your stress". So yeah, for this "mindfulness" to be successful, at least in the Buddhist sense, we do need to attach a code of ethics to our meditation apps -- Buddhist ethics, to be precise. Otherwise, it's at best a temporary reprieve. Well, that's my take on this whole thing anyway -- informed by Buddhist teachings, that is, but still an opinion. But for what it's worth, I did experiment with all sorts of meditation techniques intermittently for over 15 years now, and it never stuck until I realized that approaching this all selfishly (that is, with the aim of "make myself feel better" or something like that) is not working. So it is also an opinion informed in large part by personal experience. ¹ This experience is often preceded or accompanied by the vision of clear light, hence "luminous". ² This "self" thing perhaps needs some expanded commentary. By "self" I do not mean the (almost) featureless foundation of the individual consciousness, but rather various descriptions (not all of those verbal) we invent for ourselves, which include, but is not limited to, self-image, self-esteem, different things (both external and internal) we like to think we have or own, etc. ³ Which is a self-contradictory statement, since the "calm and bliss" are the clear mind's natural state, and it's, strictly speaking, possible neither to "have", nor to "lose" it. ⁴ How can you practice mindfulness "for the benefit of all living beings" you might ask? Well, according to Buddhist doctrine, you can't really help anyone become free of existential suffering when you're in that state yourself, or at least you can't do that effectively. So it's still desirable to attain nirvana asap -- but the end goal is to ultimately help others, not to wallow in the transcendent bliss and forget about everything else.

[@evelienheerens2879]

Perfect example of how capitalism will find a way to make anything terrible. But seriously, that a thing is used to exploit people does not make the thing inherently awful. It makes the system that exploits awful. Blaming mindfulness for being a tool that makes people suffer less and thus less likely to take radical action is ludicrous. You could blame coffee, or chairs, or windows at the office that let sunlight in. Underneath it all, is a machine that will use anything it can to exploit you as hard as it can. We need to stop pretending that capitalism exists for our benefit, to best give us what we need, and realize capitalism exists to make money for those who already have too much of it, and only gives us things when that makes us more productive. We have schools to make us better workers. If that wasn't the only purpose, school would teach you how to do your taxes or how to raise a child or function in a relationship. We have hospitals because healthier people are more productive. Hell we have roads so we can go to work. None of these things exist for your benefit, you only benefit as a side effect. It's nice that that makes you more docile off course.

[@MakiPcr]

I had a lot of stress at work, I got better by relaxing and doing fun things and by start seriously working on creating an union. It's amazing how relaxing it is to think might be freed of your shackles in a not so distant future

[@chesseski7271]

At the end of the day, making yourself feel less stressed about things out of your control ( Amazon being on fire, there's wars etc.) really is no one else responsibility but your own. Since stress is such a subjective feeling I find it weird that you're trying to push the responsibility of relieving it on to society.I mean yea, the world is a pretty fucked up place, but if you spend all your time worrying and stressing over how bad everything is you (and depending on how you deal with stress, to some extent your peers) are the only one made to suffer over it. "If the mountain won't come to Muhammad.."

[@misterscorpius1446]

This is bullshit. People aren't unstoppable forces of nature. People are the ones letting the Amazon rainforest burn, people are the ones waging wars and murdering men, women and children, people are the ones acting against their nation's best interest. Yet you're saying that it's not up to people to stop this? That people can't do anything about it? That we should all sit down, focus on our breathing and take it? That it's none of our business that motherfuckers are destroying the planet we all live on? Fuck off!

[@FrankTehTank96]

This comment right here. Letting go of traumas and wrongdoings is the only way to live free of that pain, and having the belief someone or something has responsibility over that personal emotion only serves to keep you entrapped by them/that.

[@chesseski7271]

@@misterscorpius1446 I am saying it's not up to you to stop all of it, that constantly worrying about the things that you personally have no control over is only gonna make you feel bad for the mere moment you have on this earth and that you should let go of those worries. Focusing on your breathing is only a ends to a mean. Do you realize the irony of leaving a hateful comment saying basically that there's to much hate and greed in the world? Take a deep breath and think about it.

[@misterscorpius1446]

@@chesseski7271 It's not hateful, it's angry, pissed and rude. I ought to be angry, pissed and rude when someone is telling me that I should just stop caring about people burning our world or killing innocents. That I should resign myself to do nothing instead. I'm not saying it's up to me to stop all of it or that constant worrying will help, but I am saying that it's up to all of us to do what we can to stop what troubles our planet to the best of our abilities and that means it's a societal issue. It's not going to be fixed unless a lot of individuals, just like me and just like you, do something instead of thinking that we can do nothing. It's individuals together who got us into this wretched mess to begin with, it's only individuals together who can get us out.

[@chesseski7271]

@@misterscorpius1446 When did I say that you should resign and do nothing? I eat mostly vegetarian because I know better for the environment and because I see it as a way to create less suffering for animals and humans alike. I live in a country that produce somewhere between 0.4-0.6% of the worlds emissions, that have more trees now then a hundred years ago and do not own a car. I do not use products containing palm oil and i live somewhat of a minimalist lifestyle- I as an individual do what I can, so I do not feel bad about not being able to stop things I have no control over. There will always be suffering, greed and injustice as well as there always will be good, kindness and justness. Feeling angry about it will do nothing to change that except making feel stressed which in turn will have a detrimental effect on your body and mind. Besides that, do you expect to win people over to your perspective by being rude to them?

[@p59u00]

Mindfulness can be used to solve the issues you've discussed such as toxic environments. It's just most companies are too afraid to market it as such.

[@inferno7289]

You made me anxious about calming my generalized anxiety. Thank you.

[@travisn346]

Mindfulness and meditation cause anxiety in people predisposed to disordered fear response. Too much empty space in the mind is a playground for catastrophic what-ifs. I know because I suffer the hell that is anxiety.

[@daniele4568]

I was at a point where my thoughts were consumed about all the mistakes I've made, or the wrongs that people had done to me. Even things that happened decades ago. Then I read an article about mindfulness, which led me to read about stoicism, which led me to read about the science behind controlling your thoughts. It took a couple years of effort, but it worked. I'm at peace.

[@JamesJansson]

"Matthew McConaughey will help you fall asleep" "MURPH!!!!!"

[@katrinaamirs9246]

Great analysis, thank you! i've worked in a mindfulness industry for two years and it felt sooo contradictory to see how our company's aim was to sell mindfulness which kinda undermines the whole idea... confusing times.

[@AllTheArtsy]

You know what's going to reduce my stress? If I can pay my bills on time! Financial health is public health!

[@andrewharmony]

If you look at the methods of all the mindfulness studies, they recruit their participants by advertising the study as a mindfulness study. So obviously people that already believe mindfulness is helpful are going to be the ones who participate in it. I had a therapist quite a few years ago talk me into doing mindfulness and meditation, and it caused my anxiety to get worse and I started having anxiety attacks. So now whenever I see a study on mindfulness being done on college campuses, I immediately stay clear. & anyone who's had negative outcomes from mindfulness are likely to do the same, completely biasing the results of the studies. Additionally, whenever I tell someone that i don't think mindfulness works for everyone and that it didn't work for me, they start ranting about how I must have done it wrong, or I was practicing the wrong type of mindfulness. So then it just leads me to feel dumb and like there's something wrong with me for not knowing how to properly do mindfulness.

[@94superconte]

Just got an ad for Calm while watching this. Oh, the irony.

[@ranterraver5959]

Great video, explored the issues throughly. I have actually had recent conversations with a co worker of mine about making sure we don’t lose sight of the improvements that could be made at work because it’s so easy to just focus on yourself and what YOU can do to make it better. And mindfulness can definitely be used as a distraction from the actual issues that need to be improved.

[@Snaaaked]

Bro im so high and this shit is so deep i almost thought about sending it to my boss.. smh i really got to do better to improve my work environment

[@marypalmer00]

I think we as humans already automatically practice mindfulness when necessary, it's like zoning out of a stressful situation, but instead of falling into a panic attack we notice the bright blue sky, the way our chest rises and falls, how an ant is crawling on the ground etc. It's fairly brief or it's more prolonged but I don't think it can be forced. The mind juggles focusing on actual tasks and this mindfulness on its own.

[@ShahabAhmad1398]

I've literally been bingeing this channel today and thought I wonder if they've ever done anything on meditation. decided to type up "wisecrack meditation" and saw this was uploaded an hour ago. What are the chances?

[@TheMrfrodough]

100%. It happened.

[@ShahabAhmad1398]

@@TheMrfrodough what reason would I have to lie? lool

[@TheMrfrodough]

@@ShahabAhmad1398 you asked "what are the chances?". The answer is 100%, because it happened.

[@composerdoh]

A Buddhist teacher who came to teach in the West once said something to the effect of: trying to achieve ultimate insight and liberation through mindfulness meditation without ethical commitments ("sila" in Pali) is a lot like trying to row a boat that you never untied from the dock. You can row as hard as you want, but you'll never get very far.

[@chrisrodz9521]

I haven't laughed in all day until I watched the Matthew Mcconaughey thing.

[@josephpereira6754]

The Matthew Mccounaughy app is called Calm, but his contribution to it is a part of the app that has bedtime stories that you can listen to to fall alseep, it’s not part of the meditation or the mindfulness parts of the app

[@trudyannbuckley]

I heard from someone that the common yoga saying "Inhale love, exhale everything that no longer serves you," used to be "Inhale the pain and suffering of the world, exhale compassion." I don't know the details, and I don't know where to find it so I may be misinterpreting slightly, but the difference in the goals between these two is so striking to me.

[@amberjean4044]

In the meditation teacher training I'm taking that is what we are taught to do. Some people aren't strong enough to do that.

[@Bojoschannel]

As Foucault said, "it's just another form of prison, a prison within the mind itself" or something like that

[@ikemadi6265]

Thats not what real meditation is

[@Bojoschannel]

@@ikemadi6265 of course not, that's what mindfulness currently is

[@Things321]

Thank you!!! I’ve been wanting to express just this criticism against mindfulness. It’s all over the mental health field as an all encompassing solution to everything. It’s has its benefits but it’s not a cure for everything. Awesome job wisecrack!

[@chadwilliams9141]

200 years ago: how do I not die of disintary? Today: I have stress because I overthink everything.

[@JP-sm4cs]

It's spelled dysentery

[@chadwilliams9141]

@@JP-sm4cs thank you was trying to be clever.

[@ElvinaLui]

Yes Chad, a lot of people are struggling with anxiety and depression. Your current profile thumbnail is Arthur Fleck, do you think he suffers because he "over thinks" things or because he is mentally ill? For 6 years I was a licensed therapist in the Bay Area and the majority of my clients were people who work in Silicone Valley. A lot of them have high anxiety and depression, they work to the point they neglect their own health, their marriage and their children. They wait a long time before they finally seek therapy, and they already let their dysfunctional beliefs and behaviors damage a lot. The solution isn't to tell them, hey, you're thinking too much. The solution is to get them help and change their thinking patterns. Life is already hard as it is, whether we struggle with dysentery or we struggle with personal insecurities that drive us to become depressed and workaholic, there is no need to insult the people who struggle with mental challenges. Just because the world is more sanitary, life is still filled with pain. Arthur's story tells you that loud and clear.

[@chadwilliams9141]

@@ElvinaLui I 100% agree suffering and struggling are all part of being human and surviving. Like you know chemical imbalances differ from mental health issues. I find the coddling of some though unneeded a victim culture has been spreading. I think many confuse general sadness with an actual illness.

[@christiansettles9163]

I think mindfulness really helps in the areas that are out of our control. Wasting a bunch of time and energy worrying about things that we can’t change does nothing for anybody. But living in the present moment focusing on things you can control here and now makes it all a bit better

[@TheSionThomas]

It vexes me when I hear this term at work - ‘we should make time for mindfulness’ ha, time?

[@lostusaslambus]

As a therapist, I absolutely agree with all of this. There's something to say for Maslow's hierarchy of needs. There's a reason therapy training is emphasizing social engagement and social justice more and more as a means of helping and serving our client's.

[@joelhall5124]

Remember when people just used to sit down and read a book, go for a walk, or sir in the park watching the birds fly? Now there's the added stress of buying the designer lycra outfit, the latest mat, and learning a bunch of bullshit moves in an over-priced class full of yuppies. Nature already taught us what to do.

[@jasonbelstone3427]

... Because, as it turns out, our stress comes from cares, which are attached to responsibilities and rights or understanding ones broader interest concerns. And when you stop caring, you lose interest in those other things too. Also, When is Wisecrack going to check out "Abolition of Man"?

[@The_Truth_Wizard]

The only thing that exists is the present. Remember the thoughts in your head are not you.

[@justunderreality]

Mindfulness is great when paired with reflection on why we need it. Like a diet, it is a good thing for temporary readjustment, not not a plausible lifestyle.

[@demondton96]

Me: *watches video on mindfulness* suddenly, *gets ad for whiskey* Also me: KZbin, I'm not a boomer suppressing their feelings with alcohol. I was born in '96 for gods sake

[@TeraAFK]

When did the term get hijacked? As far as I know, the widely known definition of mindfulness is to simply be aware of ones actions, words and their consequences.

[@biggiejeffrey]

I use mindfulness for my anxiety & depression. I steer away from Mad Men's version, and make my own, incorporating my faith & my diet.

[@gokiburi-chan4255]

Jeffrey Williams what is the mad men version of you don’t mind me asking

[@biggiejeffrey]

@@gokiburi-chan4255 Mad men = Madison Avenue, the kind talked about in this video, the "McMindfullness".

[@cletusyesk]

"Correct" mindfulness is about focusing outward, not inward. The point is to be so immersed into everyday experiences that you forget yourself. Experience replaces thought, thus also replacing the "I Am".

[@slyanna3688]

whoa that intro had me worried and confused

[@oriondye3212]

Sly Annah the shill is strong with this video

[@tauanwerneck3197]

A good way to manage that is to be constalty aware, not only to yourself but to everything that is happening around you in the current present. To only be aware of yourself and to think highly only in yourself it is not a "right sati " .

[@benjaminheadlee8485]

I thought I needed mindfulness in college. Turned out I just needed to break up with my girlfriend.

[@JohnMoseley]

If you'd been more mindful, you might have seen it sooner.

[@graymccanse6769]

I agree with mostly everything said in this video, just that I don't think it particularly matters that mindfulness is "what the big corporations want us to practice." It's immensely beneficial and its benefits range from attention to memory to happiness to stress reduction, and so much more. I appreciate what you've said about the ethics of the mindfulness practice, although I don't think you've said enough about the actual benefits and you discredited how much it can help. There's a reason that almost every mental health practitioner personally recommends mindfulness to every client, and it's not just because the big corporations want them to.