Mindfulness is a Buddhist term for being aware of our actions, thoughts and feelings without being lost in them and so identified with them that we forget ourselves. It is being consciously aware of the present moment and observing our mind and the world around us with open and non judgemental eyes.

We are seeing a mainstream surge in mindfulness and positive thinking practices. Mindfulness is all the rage. It’s the latest trend to reduce stress, be more productive and overcome anxiety.

But as Ronald Purser explains in his book Mcmindfulness, mindfulness has been hacked from its Buddhist roots and manipulated into a meaningless form of trendy, fake mindfulness.

Fake mindfulness

Being prescribed ‘mindfulness’ to relieve the soul crushing stress and anxiety that comes from living in a world where you are forced to do soulless labour for a soulless system that is rigged against you, is not real mindfulness. It is just a way of coping.

Are you experiencing financial stress from being exploited by the system? 

Mindfulness the stress away and just think positive!

Are you experiencing anxiety and loneliness by living in an inhuman world devoid of real human connection?

Mindfulness the loneliness away and just think positive!

And so on.

Western mainstream mindfulness is insulting. It’s almost like robbing a man of all his money and saying here be happy with a £1 – be grateful for that and just think positive.

Mindfulness does help and is a good coping mechanism. For example, focusing on your breathe can help reduce stress and anxiety.

However, it is a shallow form of mindfulness and detracts our energy away from the root problem; the stressful and anxiety filled world that we are forced to live in. Instead it focuses all our attention on the fact that we are the problem. We feel anxious and stressed and we are told that we are the problem. Here, do some mindfulness.

This is fake, shallow mindfulness.

The war on true mindfulness

True mindfulness is raising your conscious awareness to what’s true and real. 

The mark of a healthy mind is to accept the truth, no matter how bad.

It’s accepting the uncomfortable truths rather than keeping on living a comfortable lie.

It’s not comfortable for the ego, and it isn’t meant to be.

But the powers that be don’t want you to become truly mindful and conscious of the truth. They want you to remain ignorant, passive and distracted.

That’s why censorship is a thing, that’s why mass media propaganda is a thing, that’s why government cover ups are a thing, that’s why mindless entertainment and distractions are a thing. 

True mindfulness and true spirituality operates in the light.

Corrupt powers cannot operate in the light, because if the majority of people saw how badly they are being exploited and robbed they would instantly use their superior numbers and power to overhaul the system. 

True spirituality and corrupt power just aren’t compatible. It’s like trying to reverse the tides and make water flow uphill.

Hence, a shallow version of mindfulness is promoted to give the illusion that we somehow live in the light. All the while, free speech is not allowed, alternative views are not allowed and anyone who counters the official narrative is demonised by the mainstream, no matter the facts and evidence they present.

Live in the light

We let celebrities tell us what’s meaningful and trendy. We let the news man tell us what is true. We let the government dictate how we live our lives. We let the TV decide what we should focus our attention on.

But trying to fill that hole you have, or that anxiety that follows you around, with what mainstream culture offers us, is like trying to quench your thirst with seawater.

Only truth can quench your thirst.

Only living the way we have evolved to live, connected to nature and each other, can quench your thirst.

We all have to make a living but the best things in life are free. Refocus your energy away from the fake mainstream culture; things like gardening, nature, helping others, art and creativity, philosophy and journalling.

This can help bring about true mindfulness in your life.