As we exist and live in this reality, it would be inconsiderate not to take into account the place we have in this universe. While thinking of mindfulness and sustainability, we can adjust the way we perceive the world, a mindset that in turn could likely affect our actions for the better. Personally, I think mindfulness is a necessary practice if I want my life to be fulfilled and rich. We do not get very much time here on Earth and in this Universe, so being mindful while we are here is of the upmost importance. Being mindful helps me to act more sustainably in everyday life, and to plan more sustainably for the future.

I very much enjoyed Marc Cohen’s TED talk. I appreciate his graphic about illness vs. wellness, and that we are not truly healthy when only treated for our physical ailments as the practice goes in Western medicine. Wellness is about wholeness, and we need to reflect on ourselves in a more well-rounded way to achieve this. I also like the statement Dr. Cohen made about paranoia vs. pronoia. Every day since watching the talk, I check myself to make sure I am thinking more towards pronoia and try to remind myself that this world can be very kind and loving if those are the things we seek out.

The Mindfulness and Sustainability reading helped me understand how each of our actions not only affect ourselves and those around us, but how they affect our natural environment. I wrote down that the key to achieving a strong practice of mindfulness is to be genuine and, when necessary, brutally honest with ourselves. Only then are we able to evaluate ourselves and our world objectively. Mindfulness helps us achieve a sense of control, allowing us to be more intentional with our actions. Our future depends on the pursuit for mindfulness, because otherwise we will never feel in control and therefore we will never feel as though our actions matter.

For activity 2, I am learning more and more about textile production and the environmental impact of its byproducts and pollution. I am learning about how developing countries are suffering most from this, and so that is why developed countries do not make a big deal of it. I am also learning about how this pollution affects animals and their habitats.

The meditation experience was nice. I actually do a lot of water breathing (throughout the day) and whiskey breathing (before bed) already, so it was nice to do it with a full room of people and share that experience. I do not like coffee breathing so much because I usually am needing to calm down during the day.

I hope to only become more mindful in the future to come, and especially become more honest with myself in the near future.