Can mindfulness offer a solution to the misery of humankind? | Peter Doran, Meg Rosoff, Alex Nunn
24Peter Doran, Meg Rosoff and Alex Nunn discuss the role of meditation and mindfulness in today's divided societies.
Watch the full debate at https://iai.tv/video/the-power-of-the-present?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
Celebrities swear by it, scientists study it, monks still practice it and business leaders use it to thwart burnout. Mindfulness, the art of living in the now, has grown hugely in recent years. Its advocates claim it is good for health, reduces stress and improves quality of life. Critics, however, are sceptical that a $4billion industry has our interests truly at heart, and challenge the idea that happiness is achievable by all.
Is being in the present a vital antidote to a distracted and divisive culture, offering a solution to the misery of humankind? Or has meditation and mindfulness always been a means to hide from the reality of life, peddling fantasy and acquiescence when change and intervention are what is really needed?
Lecturer in Law and Government at Queen's University Belfast, Peter Doran, Head of Movement Building at Action For Happiness, Alex Nunn, and award-winning author, Meg Rosoff, debate the value of mindfulness. Hosted by distinguished historian, Rana Mitter.
#ControllingHappiness #DisconnectedSociety #NeoliberalistCulture
Peter Doran is an activist-law academic with a long-standing interest in political ecology and international affairs. He has worked as a researcher for the Northern Ireland Assembly and for the Green Party in Dáil Éireann in Dublin. His most recent publication is a book on the attention economy, consumerism and wellbeing,
Meg Rosoff is a Carnegie Medal winning author of How I Live Now, “the best children’s novel for adults since The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (Time Out).
Alex Nunn is a communicator, facilitator and movement builder who cares deeply about happiness and social change. He has worked with Action for Happiness, the worldwide movement for a happier and more caring society since 2014, and currently leads the flagship Exploring What Matters programme - bringing people together in communities to tune-in, connect and take action.
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