Ellen Langer is a social psychologist who began playing with notions of mindfulness way back in the 1970's before it had become such a "buzz word". Her ideas had little to do with meditation and Buddhism and more to do with practicality. She stresses the difference between mindfulness and "mindlessness." The latter being going about life without goals or plans for what we are doing. She approaches mindfulness quite simply by suggesting one begins to notice things in their life more carefully and slowly. This noticing can be of things or persons with who we are accustomed, and even perhaps a little tired of - say a spouse. Noticing things, people, and problems in a different light can change them in our minds.
Noticing and seeing are very Buddhist concepts but Langer does not have meditation in mind. She is really approaching every day with the beginners eye - fresh eyes - so that our rigid ideas about things do not get in the way of finding new solutions to the problems of living.
As usual I had the delight of waking up in Sunday to Krista Tippet's show On Being and this is what I learned. If you ask a group of students what 1 + 1 equals they will scoff and say, "Two of course," but what if you have one piece of gum and add it to another? They make one whole and so the answer is not always two. Langer gives an example of studies with cleaning women who suffered from obesity and diabetes until they were told that the work they were doing was exercise. Suddenly their attitude was to be more active and their rates of illness went down.
Interesting perspective and reinforces my beliefs in the power of positive thinking.
How is that for one good thing?
Another is the 140 calls I made this morning for George Latimer our democratic candidate for county executive. Vote on Tuesday!
Noticing and seeing are very Buddhist concepts but Langer does not have meditation in mind. She is really approaching every day with the beginners eye - fresh eyes - so that our rigid ideas about things do not get in the way of finding new solutions to the problems of living.
As usual I had the delight of waking up in Sunday to Krista Tippet's show On Being and this is what I learned. If you ask a group of students what 1 + 1 equals they will scoff and say, "Two of course," but what if you have one piece of gum and add it to another? They make one whole and so the answer is not always two. Langer gives an example of studies with cleaning women who suffered from obesity and diabetes until they were told that the work they were doing was exercise. Suddenly their attitude was to be more active and their rates of illness went down.
Interesting perspective and reinforces my beliefs in the power of positive thinking.
How is that for one good thing?
Another is the 140 calls I made this morning for George Latimer our democratic candidate for county executive. Vote on Tuesday!
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