I was thinking about some of the different ideas I have particularly strong identifications with, or disagreements with. In other words, all the shit I’m polarized on. Believe me there’s a lot! As I was thinking about many of these things (particularly meditation and blogging), it occurred to me that it might be helpful to argue against some of my assumptions. With meditation, I often argue for its value or take some sort of synthesis position, where I try to acknowledge both its value and its downsides. But why don’t I ever simply argue for its downsides??? Well, I decided I would do all three together. As I was sitting in Folsom St. coffee shop, jotting in my little Staples notebook here’s what came:
Arguments for Meditation
- Meditation is an ancient & cross-cultural technique. Anything this old and widely accepted must be valuable.
- Meditation can lead to a direct and profound knowledge concerning Reality.
- This aforementioned knowledge can utterly transform ones relationship to Reality and to oneself.
- Meditation often gives many other empirically verified benefits, both physiological and psychological in nature.
- Beyond these empirically verified benefits there may be many other benefits for the meditator.
- Meditation, like any other endeavor, can help create meaning and purpose in ones life and connect one to others who share in this meaning.
Argument against Meditation
- Meditation in all of its guises are simply the remnants of pre-modern, antiquated, and sadly uninformed cultures and religions, many of which were the cause of great harm in the world.
- Meditation can lead to reclusivity and disengagement with the world, sapping the world of precious human resources.
- There are many ways of living a meaningful and healthy life without engaging in meditation techniques
per sayper se. - Meditation can lead to profound confusion and dissociation just as easily as it can lead to a “profound realization,” and who’s to say they aren’t the same thing?
- If there is some profound truth about Reality that people are capable of realizing, why would they have to meditate to do so? If it’s true, then it’s true whether or not someone “meditates.”
- The very act of becoming a “meditator” can become yet another obstacle and block to the realization which many meditators pursue.
Argument for Synthesis
Clearly both of these perspectives have truth to them. Holding on to the extreme versions of either (or the synthesis of both!) leads one to not being able to recognize their respective counter-truths. If we ignore or are ignorant of truth, then we will very quickly fall into a defensive and contracted position which limits our overall flexibility as human beings.
