So have you heard about the new movement called "Mindfulness"? Well, it's actually not new as it has been around since the 1970's, but let me explain. Basically it's meditation to center oneself in the here and now, or as Wikipedia states:
The NYC public school system is beginning to institute this practice in our public schools to help promote calm, focused children and even setting aside special spaces for the daily meditations. Now I only bring this up because, well, I started grade school in those way-back times when we still had prayer in school. At the beginning of every day, we would say the Pledge of Allegience in unison, and either sit or stand quietly and have our daily devotional. Then our day would begin with each child now calm and ready to listen to our lessons and focused as a group.
I think this is great idea, but I am also just a little confused. Meditation is an ancient religious practice in Buddhism and Hinduism and let me be honest, it is just prayer. Basically, the NY public school system is reintroducing this kind of practice back in the school system, but how is this any different from prayer which was banned decades ago for being unconstitutional. I reiterate that I think this is a great idea to have this devoted moment of focused calm, but...it's just reintroducing the ancient religious practice of prayer which we got rid of because it was...oh nevermind. Let's just say that maybe there was some method to our previous generations' madness afterall.
And moving on, now for some mindlessness. So, our Governor Cuomo has approved a plan for General Motors to road test their new experimental driverless cars in Lower Manhattan next year - LINK. First let me say this, I don't trust GM to make a car with a driver that will not fall apart, so how on Earth will GM make driverless cars that will? Don't get me started on my long running issues with GM cars!
Secondly, why on God's Green Earth, are they approved to test this out in THE most congested, chaotic place on Earth with a car that has no driver. I'm not just talking crazy cab drivers and maniacal trucks weaving unexpectedly through traffic. We're talking buses, pedestrians including thousands of tourist who run amok, and cyclists who I rarely if ever see one actually stop for a red light I would faint dead away. I forsee death, destruction, and more mayhem than usual. But what makes this even better is Gov. Cuomo didn't even bother to consult with Mayor de Blasio or even the Dept of Transporation in NYC before the public announcement. If nothing else, it should be entertaining to witness.
Okay, do your stuff.
“Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the practice of meditation and other training.”
The NYC public school system is beginning to institute this practice in our public schools to help promote calm, focused children and even setting aside special spaces for the daily meditations. Now I only bring this up because, well, I started grade school in those way-back times when we still had prayer in school. At the beginning of every day, we would say the Pledge of Allegience in unison, and either sit or stand quietly and have our daily devotional. Then our day would begin with each child now calm and ready to listen to our lessons and focused as a group.
I think this is great idea, but I am also just a little confused. Meditation is an ancient religious practice in Buddhism and Hinduism and let me be honest, it is just prayer. Basically, the NY public school system is reintroducing this kind of practice back in the school system, but how is this any different from prayer which was banned decades ago for being unconstitutional. I reiterate that I think this is a great idea to have this devoted moment of focused calm, but...it's just reintroducing the ancient religious practice of prayer which we got rid of because it was...oh nevermind. Let's just say that maybe there was some method to our previous generations' madness afterall.
And moving on, now for some mindlessness. So, our Governor Cuomo has approved a plan for General Motors to road test their new experimental driverless cars in Lower Manhattan next year - LINK. First let me say this, I don't trust GM to make a car with a driver that will not fall apart, so how on Earth will GM make driverless cars that will? Don't get me started on my long running issues with GM cars!
Secondly, why on God's Green Earth, are they approved to test this out in THE most congested, chaotic place on Earth with a car that has no driver. I'm not just talking crazy cab drivers and maniacal trucks weaving unexpectedly through traffic. We're talking buses, pedestrians including thousands of tourist who run amok, and cyclists who I rarely if ever see one actually stop for a red light I would faint dead away. I forsee death, destruction, and more mayhem than usual. But what makes this even better is Gov. Cuomo didn't even bother to consult with Mayor de Blasio or even the Dept of Transporation in NYC before the public announcement. If nothing else, it should be entertaining to witness.
Okay, do your stuff.
18 comments:
Maybe if Gov. Cuomo had exercised some mindfulness, he would've realized how stupid driverless cars in Manhattan is.
Bev,
That sounds like prayer to me too. Also, in my experience religion doesn’t decrease the rambunctiousness of kids :).
Anthony - Good point, but anything might help. The other thing I did not put in there is that it also taught us how to respect others personal beliefs. Even if we did not personally want to participate, we still had to stand there quietly because it was the polite thing to do to be respectful in that moment for them.
We all could reiterate this in our daily lives these days a little more.
Tryanmax - In some editorial titled "Yo, robot! Get The Lead Out!" in a free paper opined that more than likely one month in the robot car will begin dreaming "about their lack of ability to fly, bemoaning their creators' shortsightedness for staying on four grounded wheels. This is called machine learning."
I will post a link to the article when it becomes available...hysterical!
Bev, This is one of those things that I think comes up decade after decade, each time in some different form -- meditation, weird churches, the self-help cult, crystals and New Age quasi-ligion, etc.
OT: David Schwimmer is now being praised by leftists for offering to have a third party attend an interview in his hotel room with a female reporter.
Funny. Mike Pence says he never meets strange women alone and that was called sexist. Schwimmer does it and it's called enlightened.
Re: Schimmer - But on the other hand - Mayim Bialik was crucified on the altar of feminism and forced to publish an apologize for basically saying the same thing.
Yes, but Bev, she and Pence blamed women. And Schwimmer is cute. We all loved him on Friends so he can rape me any time. See the difference? (HINT: Rape isn't funny unless it's someone you like.)
Besides, she made the mistake of saying (paraphrase) "don't be sluts". "Strong" women can choose to be sluts if they want too... there just shouldn't be any consequence to their choice, and it's misogynistic to suggest their should be.
Get it?
Bev, I've noticed over the years that the line between harassment and fantasy has a lot to do with looks. The same conduct will be judged differently depending on the sexual attractiveness of the perpetrator.
If Weinstein weren't shaped like a troll... if he looked like young Robert Redford, I bet Hollywood would have labelled him as Hollywood's Don Juan rather than a sexual predator and they would be laughing this off, just as they still laugh off Bill Clinton's conduct while condemning much less from men they don't like -- like Trump.
Andrew - I think that is true about the "charm" factor. They Linda Bloodworth-Thomasen, TV producer/bestie with the Clinton basically said in her special Op/Ed for Variety that Weinstein as awful, and she knew about it but didn't do anything about it - me bad. Oh, btw, I wrote Bill's apology about Monica-gate because he did basically was consensual-ish.
...and she warned very high up political fundraisers about taking money from Weinstein and blah, blah, blah...
But the important part is that she would try to do better and we womenz must stick together blah, blah, blah...
Also, the line between harassment and rape has blurred to include furtive "unwanted" looks over the college green...
Bev, I thought the definition of rape was being male in the presence of a female. Or even being a male posting data in the same online space as a female posting data .
We had something similar when I was in school, a moment of quiet reflection, though without the Mindfulness part. Actually, this has me wondering how long it's going to be before some SJW starts screaming about cultural appropriation and how long it's going to take the school system to cave. On the cars, yeah, no way that ends well. Driving is hazardous enough even in the rural south these days! That's definitely some cringe worthy hypocrisy on Hollywood's part, Andrew... And they wonder why there's so much sexual dysfunction these days.
did anyone listen to GWB's speech today. Apparently even liberals are hailing it as great. I guess I have to listen now...
People still want to interview David Schwimmer? Who knew?
GypsyTyger
Gypsy - What is old is new again. See: Will & Grace, Roseanne...maybe Schwimmer is jockeying for a remake to "Friends".
GWB basically decided to take the unpopular stand against white supremacy. What a hee-row.
Bush's speech was just (now unfashionable) conservatism. Good speech but no surprises and not going to change the minds of the populist/talk radio wing of the party.
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