I think the author doesn't understand mindfulness. Achieving mindfulness can only help you to know what exactly you want to change and what you can change.
It seems to me that the author favors radical change, either in general or he assumes everybody knows what exactly must be changed and how. Which I doubt.
"Capitalism" has spared the Western world increasingly more suffering, so there is no point in "going back" anywhere.
While I do favor corrections in terms of wealth distribution, I'd be hesitant to implement any unproven radical changes.
I fail to see why mindfulness meditation is any obstacle to this.
> "Capitalism" has spared the Western world increasingly more suffering
"Spared" implies that there's a clearly worse and inevitable alternative. Unless we shake off this ingrained cold-war mentality no other alternatives than status-quo will seem plausible.
Who is disputing that there are clearly worse alternatives? Pick almost any part of history.
You're talking about alternatives to the status-quo. Sure, there's lots to be improved, that's not what the disagreement is. The disagreement is whether to have a calm conversations and plan for a better future, or - like the Guardian suggests - burning it all to the ground because capitalism = bad.
> Who is disputing that there are clearly worse alternatives?
No one, and neither do I. That's why I added inevitable. Because the problem is the false dichotomy of Capitalism or Stalinism. It's obvious that the people calling for radical change are not even close to supporting Stalinism. But for some reason this is always assumed when just criticism towards Capitalism is presented.
> The disagreement is whether to have a calm conversations and plan for a better future
Moderates never ever find a "good" time for true change. It should always be delayed and slowed down until it eventually evaporates.
It seems to me that the author favors radical change, either in general or he assumes everybody knows what exactly must be changed and how. Which I doubt.
"Capitalism" has spared the Western world increasingly more suffering, so there is no point in "going back" anywhere.
While I do favor corrections in terms of wealth distribution, I'd be hesitant to implement any unproven radical changes.
I fail to see why mindfulness meditation is any obstacle to this.