Living with mindfulness

Our digital world presents us with immense opportunities and challenges alike. To be sure, we have been hugely empowered by digital connectivity where knowledge is gained by the mere click of a button. Indeed the digital generation has much to be grateful for such empowerment. But, at the same time, we are constantly faced with an onslaught of digital media that constantly vie for our attention on a daily - if not hourly - basis. From the latest Facebook postings to the most current stock prices, we are driven to seek out the newest updates that happen almost instantaneously. The combination of such empowerment and our relentless pursuit of digital information has inadvertently made us become more insular and less focused. The current state of affairs should be remedied.

The practice of mindfulness traces its ancient roots back to the time of the Buddha at around 500 B.C. The Buddha taught mindfulness to monks and lay people to sharpen their mental faculties. The practice essentially involves directing one's mind at a primary activity - be it the simple act of in- and out-breathing, sitting/walking, or even urinating/defecating. If the distracted mind is 'jolted out' of the primary activity, one redirects the mind back to the primary activity as soon as s/he is aware that the mind is no longer directed at the primary activity. Such a practice supposedly sharpens one's mental faculties. On a non-spiritual level, the sharpened mind with a longer attention span allows one to better perform his or her daily routines, whereas on a spiritual level, it allows one's mind to reach a state of calm in which wisdom and liberation can be gained.

It should come as no surprise that the greatest achievements of mankind, be it in science or the arts, involve attention. The intellect of Thomas Jefferson and the works of William Shakespeare could not have been achieved without their ability to be attentive - in the case of Thomas Jefferson, his voracity in reading culminated in the Declaration of Independence; and in the case of William Shakespeare, the literary classics of Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, etc. In fact, not even the beautiful sculptures at Union Station and the Library of Congress in DC could have been built without the precious mental commodity of attention.

Latest medical research has further proven that the practice of mindfulness leads to more grey matter in the brain (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979). Reduction of grey matter has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's. Other medical benefits also include reduction in the stress level and lowering of blood pressure. We may also witness lower incidences of car accidents, if drivers direct the mind on driving (the primary activity) instead of toggling the mind incessantly between driving and texting whilst proclaiming the ability to multi-task as a form of self-aggrandisement.

Given our fast pace of life, injecting a dose of mindfulness in our daily living will definitely allow life to be more endurable and palatable, even exciting and enriching. As mindfulness can be practised anywhere and anytime, there can hardly be any excuse in not being mindful. I wish you a mindful day ahead!