“We live in a climate dominated by information technology. Before the glow of our screens, we constantly are tempted to divide our attention between this reality and the digital virtual world. Of course, we cannot be both in the real world and in the digital world, so this leaves us feeling torn, conflicted, and distracted. Such a steady psychological struggle leads us to seek ways of escaping the maelstrom of exigencies. On its long journey from its Eastern religious origins in the other side of the world, mindfulness emerged in America in the late twentieth century as an easy, healthy, if not momentary, deliverance from such a life. A major reason mindfulness has been successfully “mainstreamed” is that we are so overstimulated and chronically busy that our minds are desperate for some sort of rest that takes as little time as possible. But like many popular activities, the mindfulness of mainstream America is not necessarily the same as the original activity from which it originated. Because mindfulness has entrenched itself in American culture, Christians need to investigate it thoroughly in order to determine whether it is friend or foe.”
This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Sarah Geis about her Volume 41, No. 03 feature article,“Thinking through Mindfulness: Psychology, Religion, or Both?”
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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts related to this subject:
“Be Still and Know”: Contemplative Prayer and Psalm 46:10
Transcendental Meditation in the New Millennium (Part One)