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I will note that you are not responding to what you have quoted, but to an extreme re-interpretation.
The OP says "exert some mastery over", which is a far cry from the "full control" you say some people cannot have.
The quiet art of attention
41–50 of 291 posts
Re: The quiet art of attention
#42To the author : I find your article really insightful. I want to read more but I realize this article is not on your homepage. There might be more stuff that you have written and is unlisted. How can i find it all.
The Mind Illuminated is a book with a similar style.
Re: The quiet art of attention
#43Cognitive control is one of the most important issues of our era, IMHO: https://vonnik.substack.com/p/how-to-take-your-brain-back There are many techniques to increase our CC. The ADHD community is a trailblazer in this respect.
I used to think that once I started browsing the internet, it was time for a break. One technique I've implemented, which I haven't seen mentioned is "walking pomodoro technique": for every 25 minutes of work, I get up and take a brisk 5-min walk (or lately, a jog) and come back. One of the most surprising things is that by mandating my own breaks, I browse the internet a lot less.
I suffer from RSI and definitely do not move enough when I am invested in some piece of work (personal or professional). I recently installed workrave[0] and have noticed marked improvements in just a couple weeks of actually taking breaks when it indicates.
I take a 25 second break every 5 minutes, and use this time to do one hand and wrist exercise (I keep some resistance bands and hand exercise balls at the desk). I take a 5 minute break every 25 minutes. I will either do some stretches, or a quick chore (e.g. vacuum one room).
Re: The quiet art of attention
#44As much as I love the sentiment, these sorts of pieces (written or verbal) always contain contradictions, usually important ones relative to the claims.
These contradictions (?) may be rooted in the reader’s assumptions about the world: the writer says A and B, but to the reader B implies (not A) because of their world view. In short they might not be actual contradictions.
This might seem very vague but a discussion on something so first-person as the mind is ripe for that kind of thing.
Which is resolved with dialogue. If the contradictions are brought up.
Re: The quiet art of attention
#45Re: The quiet art of attention
#46This is a really great description of why a meditative practice is worth taking time on and also why it’s worth railing against todays constant attention deficit and lack of empty, quiet spaces, both mental and physical. Excellent writing!
Re: The quiet art of attention
#47The power of Being (simply existing mindfully) as opposed to the Doing we feel compelled into. When you Are who you are, you will Do what you do, and likely find greater success because it comes from who you are, not what someone is telling you to do…
It's a very hard topic to write or even talk about but what you wrote rings true.
Re: The quiet art of attention
#48[flagged]
Honestly the bigger problem is probably that creating lasting habits is hard. Everyone knows that exercise is important but how many people maintain a consistent routine?
With mindfulness it's even worse because there is no way to track how strong your equanimity is. You can't know if you are making progress or just deluding yourself.
Re: The quiet art of attention
#49To the author : I find your article really insightful. I want to read more but I realize this article is not on your homepage. There might be more stuff that you have written and is unlisted. How can i find it all.
I was reminded of my all-time favourite book on meditation / mindfulness: Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. The article had a similar style. Gunaratana’s book is full of humour and beautiful writing and I’d recommend it as a brilliant guide to anyone interested in this stuff.
Re: The quiet art of attention
#50[flagged]
Honestly the bigger problem is probably that creating lasting habits is hard. Everyone knows that exercise is important but how many people maintain a consistent routine? With mindfulness it's even worse because there is no way to track how strong your equanimity is. You can't know if you are making progress or just deluding yourself.
My meditation book (The Mind Illuminated) divides everything into stages. And the strength of one’s mindfulness is discussed.