It's Oh So Quiet

[FeeHutch]

Hi everyone
It is a bit on the quiet side this week isn't it

I've not been all that well, in hospital for an MRI today and still pretty doped up on valium (no idea how many times it has taken me to write this post ). Got more stuff coming up this week too but I will be around as much as I can and reading even if I'm not posting.

Hope everyone else is good? I am sure I shall be back to my usual self very soon

[piedwagtail91]

just got back from a day of mindfulness out in the countryside (but in a country house!) with about 20 others. just what i needed after a busy week.

[FeeHutch]

That sounds very peaceful. I hope you got what you needed from the experience.

[piedwagtail91]

thanks fee, it was worth every penny!
i've another one next month , thats a different one , it's part of the eight week course so it's free but i may have to work in that one

[JonW]

Hi Fee.
It has been noticeably quiet this week.
All good thoughts with you at this trying time and wishing you the speediest of recoveries.
Big hug, x Jon

[FeeHutch]

Pied, if you ever want to write a blog for the main site about these days just let us know

Thank you Jon, just back from the GP and with a referral to another specialist already being drafted. I am trying to remain mindful in the moment and not jump ahead to more possibly unpleasant tests. I am mostly OK though, taking it moment by moment

[BioSattva]

Yes hope things go smoothly Fee.

I've noticed the quietness here too - maybe there has been an initial chatter due to the novelty of the forum, etc., and now maybe most basic topics have been explored enough for visitors to have gotten what they have wanted. Maybe it's going to be more slow-drip from now on, but generally growing as peoples' regular practices become more embedded and habitual.

Personally I'm looking for more ways to enjoy mindfulness in groups and to share and exchange mindful activity knowledge in the context of having an established daily formal mindfulness practice. There doesn't seem to be a lot of potential for that yet - there is some, of course, but not a lot to create a lot of discussion. I'm pretty sure things will change over the next few years however...

[FeeHutch]

I am hoping this part of the forum will become busier too so that we can um 'bond' more as a community by sharing things we enjoy. Mindfulness is there in everything if we pay attention but equally I hope we can share thoughts about books or films or hobbies or events too

[BioSattva]

Yes.

Here is some recent news:
I went to the mindfulness and practical philosophy meetup last night and it was very interesting - about 20 people half chinese and half foreign. There was a very free and open atmosphere so that many different perspectives on the topic ('What is wisdom?') were shared.

There appeared to be a major divide between people engaged in meditation practices of whatever sort and those more philosophically/thought-leaning. One camp seemed to be a bit more depressed and obsessed with an idea that some conceptual Truth can be gained which will solve all their problems, and another camp held the view that the way one physically positions oneself with regards to life's problems is the key. I'll leave you to guess which camp championed mindfulness meditation . It seemed to be a small microcosm representing the present social divide one can very easily encounter when one walks out of the door - possibly symbolic of the paradigm shift which is occurring....

...anyway, that's my report from recent events. How to softly engage people seeking for conceptual answers to "Why am I here?" with mindfulness philosophy is an art in itself - I think I made a mistake by saying to one attendee "Well, how would you feel if there isn't, in fact, a conceptual answer out there?" ... They seemed more depressed afterwards; that wasn't very skilful of me. Unfortunately there wasn't any particular closure at the end of the discussion so everyone left thinking, "oh well, we all have different ideas - no group solution there then" - especially amongst the 'thinkers', it seemed. It felt somewhat like a missed opportunity. I wasn't leading the discussion so I am considering starting a splinter group for more of a focus on mindfulness philosophy and use some guided meditation mp3s.

Jon, how is the Brighton mindfulness meetup going? - Care to share any tips or anecdotes?

[FeeHutch]

I suppose there is a big element of striving in the question 'why am I here?' I have sat and pondered that a lot in the past and found it quite depressing. If I don't accept a spiritual answer then maybe I am here because of a random chain of events, maybe just maybe I am a tiny spec on a huge planet and there is no point. That kind of thinking can be damaging if you are in an emotionally vulnerable.

Personally speaking, letting go of the question and the answer and accepting just being here right now has been profoundly peaceful