Episode 301 | How To Be Mindful & Compassionate in Any Circumstance with Anne Alexander
There is a cultural shift happening in our midst. Despite the changes in engagements caused by the pandemic, we have also never been this connected by technology. Not only are we confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but movements also arise that call for people to take a stand and express their opinions. We can see different ideas and perspectives, which, most of the time, can create a divide among us despite being interconnected and having shared responsibility. How can we be mindful and compassionate?
In today’s episode, Anne Alexander shares with us how to be mindful in these extraordinary times. She talks about how to engage and be compassionate with others who do not share the same perspective with us. Anne also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of cancel culture and its healthy boundaries.
If you want to practice mindfulness and foster more meaningful relationships, tune in to this episode.
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Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Discover different ways of how you can practice mindfulness.
Learn the importance of being compassionate and patient, especially in your relationships.
Find out how Anne practices mindfulness in her personal life.
Resources
Mindful website
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Episode Highlights
Living in Extraordinary Times
We live amid the pandemic, and yet we can sense the people's mindfulness in different situations around us.
Anne shares that she had the opportunity to learn from other mindfulness teachers about the Black Lives Matter movement. She wishes to be able to communicate what she learned to other people.
There is so much we need to listen to, and there is a lot of pain and injustice.
Our society has shifted extraordinarily in a short period. For example, we can see different age groups and different ethnicities supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
We are amid so many shifts and an increasing sense of shared responsibility.
Being Open to Dialogue
Most of the time, it is difficult to have your point of view and hold somebody else’s point of view with grace.
To be able to communicate, you need emotional empathy regardless of who you are and what you believe in.
You can engage in a real dialogue when you come from a place of genuine respect and true recognition.
We are living in a world with sharp edges, grit, difficulty, and pain. The trick is to have a sense of equanimity and respect.
The Importance of Patience
The people closest to us can be the hardest people to change because there is so much history.
You can start with the patience of accepting the first goal, which is to find moments of togetherness and be in a room with someone who has a different point of view.
The divide amongst people is not just something you can dispense within a conversation.
However, patience and mindfulness allow us to see each other across tremendous divides.
Hate & Judgment
When we see irritating posts on social media and want to say something about it, you are just perpetuating hate.
Do not let your anger irritate your social world. Hate does not solve the problem.
We need to be more mindful of our intentions.
As humans, we have flaws and are capable of saying stupid things.
Can we show other people the understanding, grace, and generosity we give ourselves when we make mistakes?
Cancel Culture
Context is often lost in cancel culture.
The hard work is in having hard conversations.
Cancel culture also has a plus side. It can be an excellent way to support companies that are on the right side and withdraw support for those whose stand you do not support.
We create change with our actions.
However, cancel culture can be short-sighted. It doesn’t solve anything if you simply say, “Oh, that was a stupid thing. Therefore, I'm not going to talk to that person anymore.”
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
“The reality is we’re living in a world with sharp edges and grit and difficulty and pain and passion, confusion, and all of that stuff. And the real trick is to be able to have that sense of equanimity and respect.”
“Now is the time to be able to come to a place to be able to keep our own energy levels high enough that we can listen and we can be there. We can mediate, and we can try to absorb things, even if we don't understand things.”
“Part of what is extraordinary, if you will, about mindfulness or being mindful is the ability also to see reality as it is.”
“Perhaps the first goal was just to find those moments of togetherness and to re-establish that beautiful fluid bond. The patience may take a long time to get to the place where that conversation can really happen.”
“The hard work is having hard conversations, and that takes a tremendous amount of commitment.”
About Anne
Anne Alexander is the editor of Mindful.org, a non-profit organization. They aim to inspire, guide, and connect anyone who wants to explore mindfulness to enjoy better health, nurture relationships, and have a more compassionate society.
If you want to connect with Anne, visit Mindful’s website. You can also visit Mindful’s Instagram and Facebook page to learn more about mindfulness and meditation.
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