McMindfulness Redux

“I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations - one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it - you will regret both.” - Soren Kierkegaard

Thanks to those who reached out about our latest shout-out profile of Ron Purser and his new book McMindfulness. I got some grief for posting it, but that's okay; I appreciate everyone's email and have learned from them. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I also got a strong positive response. To allow people to reply publicly, we've made it possible to post moderated comments on the blogs and shout-out profiles on our website.

Some have chosen to interpret the McMindfulness profile as my endorsement of all of the points Ron makes in his book. That’s not the case. If you’re curious about my view, I talk about problems inherent in modern mindfulness, specifically careerism, with Annaka Harris and Dan Harris (no relation) on Dan’s 10% Happier Podcast, at around the 34-minute mark. I talk to Sharon Salzberg about problems inherent in the explosion of school-based mindfulness programs, and taking meditation to scale, in her Metta Hour Podcast starting around the 12-minute mark. I’ve also pushed back against criticism of the popularization and commercialization of mindfulness in this review, for the Los Angeles Review of Books, of Thomas Joiner’s Mindlessness: The Corruption of Mindfulness in a Culture of Narcissism.

In the shout-out section of this website, the intention is not to endorse but to present diverse people, programs, and views. The point of posting divergent viewpoints is that it gives people an opportunity to engage with ideas they might not agree with, like on the op-ed page of a newspaper. I believe that this makes for a more dynamic community and that we can learn from one another. I hope you agree. If you don't, feel free to leave a comment. You can also leave a comment if you do agree.

The McMindfulness profile is the first of three shout-outs we will post that profile people skeptical about aspects of the mindfulness movement. All of them have been in the works for a while, and the remaining two are not yet complete. I don't agree with everything that those we are profiling have written. Without question, though, they have standing to make the points they're making and are highlighting issues worthy of discussion. At least one of those we're interviewing has criticized my writing in the past. I don't entirely agree with the criticism, but I'm okay with it.

Thanks to those who have written to me for your openness and engagement. May this process be of benefit.

Susan