“Marketing Mindfulness”
A quick perusal of the self-help/psychology sections of bookstores reveals a distinct trend: the word “mindful” is finding its way into a lot of titles. The significance is inescapable. Mindfulness is now fashionable, and is being used to sell products, which can only lead to a corruption of its meaning, the way westernized yoga today bares scant resemblance to the original practice. Accessorizing your wardrobe with $100 shorts from Lululemon is not yoga, it’s Sex and the City.
The commercialization of consciousness is a hazardous trend. It will make it harder to find honest gurus. Not only will their voices get drowned out in cacophonous turf wars, but it discards a basic tenet of the Buddhist path, that teachings should be offered for free, and that benefaction should be up to the student. Most places I practice either ask nothing other than what you’re willing to give, or as little as possible in order to keep the lights on. As a friend of mine put it, “The measure of whether somebody cares about your well-being is whether they would offer their services for nothing. If they wouldn’t, then it’s about them, not you.”
In truth, my journey to the practice of mindfulness started with commercial introductions. When I decided my days and ways had to change, I turned to the most visible self-help sources on the block, people like Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra. I took what I liked, followed their suggestions to keep searching, and eventually made my way to the study of Buddhism, where I’ve not only saved a fortune, but have undergone a greater transformation in nine months than I had in nine years.
What concerns me most is that mindfulness will be corrupted into something that requires the practitioner get stuck in some vicious cycle of “see you next week” therapy. Psychologists seem to have an eye on their future and have begun bringing mindfulness into their fold. Courses and books on the intersection of the two practices are popping up everywhere. (I will be attending one such class this week. Yes, I’m curious.) But the pursuit of happiness should not be a commercial enterprise. As soon as it becomes such, it will require unhappiness be a constant undercurrent. It’s the only way to ensure repeat business.
This trend will disappear, of course, replaced by another latest and greatest way to fix you in ten easy steps. Thankfully the practice of mindfulness, dating back some 2,500 years, will not disappear. So if you’ve got an inclination to look into it, may I suggest caution with the source dispensing the teachings. By all means start with the commercial. Just… be mindful.
Perhaps it can be your first act.
For the Mineralava Musings, this is Edoardo Ballerini.