MANIFESTO FOR A MINDFUL SOCIETY

 

by 

 The S’asseoir Ensemble

(“Sitting Together”) collective

An unique citizens’ movement

Table of Contents

1.            Introduction            2

2.            What is mindfulness? What does it offer everyday life?            4

3.            Non-profit and secular            5

4.            Why street actions are important            6

5.            Meditation is commitment to something better            9

6.            Letting go of competitiveness: Sitting Together in early education           11

7.            Sitting together, a political movement            13

 

 

1. Introduction

Flash back to May 2016, on a social network. We were at the height of “Nuit Debout” (literally “Night Standing,” a French social protest against proposed labor reforms in 2016), where many were hoping to find a new space for sharing and exchanging ideas. It was also just after the terrible Paris attacks that had traumatized the country. Those events had caused a number of citizens to question how we live together, our very approach to life and society. Some of us eagerly began to chat on the net.

When one of us shared a film on a meditation street action in the U.S., our discussion group responded emphatically. The images were exciting, and resonated with our own practices and the questions we’d been asking. Someone in the group wrote:

“What if we spontaneously suggested that everybody sit down during the day and take a moment, at no cost?”

That was how our passion was born, and how it then snowballed in France and elsewhere. We each got it in our heads to grow this seed of an idea. We discussed and shared enthusiastically. New people came along, some drifted away, as in life. It was at times hard to maintain course and not get sidetracked by offshoots, no matter how tempting, that could risk losing the simple beauty and purity of our initial impulse. All these contributions evolved into the movement “Sitting Together.”

“Sitting Together” is a collective vision that advocates being together, simply, without necessarily acting, but being in the moment.

This movement finds context in counter-current to a society where it is easier to fill up, to munch, to smoke, to drink – any time someone feels uncomfortable with themselves or others.

Initially it was a collective thumbing of our noses at the “doing society.” Along the way, however, this outburst of expression became deeper.

A number of questions that underlie this manifesto came to the fore: define mindfulness for sitting together, etc.

Sitting Together is an individual and collective position of mindfulness of the self and others, a source for a number of advantages that this manifesto seeks to declare and share.

In the city, and more generally society, we are confronted with chaos and an unceasing flow of people and information. What is preventing us from slowing down, catching our breath, taking a moment, if only for a few seconds, maybe minutes? Just because we need to – to feel our being, to breathe or just to feel.

“On the stairs of the Opera House, despite the crowd, I had the sense of creating a bubble for myself.”

“I was surprised by passersby who said ‘I don’t have time to sit down with you,’ when ultimately, you just have to take it… the time.”

Sitting Together is the possibility of being authentic and living in reality, simply by being there.

Our society of images and consumption pushes us to tell stories about ourselves and others, or to construct these certain positions. Caught by these mechanisms, some of us err into past ruminations and future anxieties, forgetting to live in the present. Others crash ahead, losing awareness of others, of the collective all of us, of different perspectives from our own that surround us.

Sitting Together is not an ideology. It’s an opportunity to return to a pragmatic reality. It’s a breath for regaining awareness of what is, and who is around us. This attitude offers peace and serenity. It allows us to escape from a spiral of stress, and instead reintegrate our uniqueness within a whole.

“I very quickly felt alive in this experience of sitting together. I felt an immense creative potential in this position.”

“I perceived the city differently. I felt sensorial stimulations that were unfamiliar in the urban environment.

We soon realized that implementing our vision would not be easy. First of all, because each of us had their own vision of this project.

We had to abandon our discourse and our tendency to self-centeredness in order to maintain the authenticity and virtues of sitting together.

Sitting together in the city is not a simple project. We can take a cigarette break, grab a drink, have a bite together or even be a homeless person, but we were systematically ordered to scram every time we simply wanted to sit together. Is that surprising?

Sitting Together promotes spontaneous and collective mindfulness. Each individual is free to meditate in their fashion or simply to be there. It is simply about a space of freedom.

2.  What is mindfulness? What can it offer everyday life?

Mindfulness is a deliberate attitude of curiosity about present experience, without judgment.

Mindful meditation allows us to train ourselves for this mode of being and of attention in the world. It has lasting, scientifically proven effects on the brain, after only 8 weeks of practice.

Meditation allows us to adjust the mechanisms that contribute to stress, anxiety and “negative” emotions. They lead to a spirit of “stepping back” from negative or catastrophic thinking related to past events or in flawed anticipation of the future.

Meditation renders us more joyful, lucid, attentive and flexible. All this has been broadly proven by science.

A reduction in incidences of depression (fewer relapses), Improvement of prognosis for auto-immune illness, Reduction of excessive blood pressure, Recovery of resting metabolism, Reduction of cerebral ageing: all are scientifically proven benefits of meditation.Members of Parliament that joined together around the article “A Mindful Nation, UK” recommend mindful meditation for reducing public health costs. They also recommend it in the legal arena and in the field of education. From early education? Yes, because mindful meditation also reduces incidents of aggression and violence, facilitates learning and increases motivation.

How does Mindful Meditation work?

Meditation encourages “defusing” of our automatic mental mechanisms. It allows us to feel bodily signals and to develop a more pragmatic mode of thinking. Observing the flow of thoughts and feelings as “mind objects” allows for better regulation of attention and emotion. The explicit goal of mindfulness is not to bring about a state of relaxation. Nevertheless, the practice of mindfulness can lead to a state similar to relaxation, because the ability to cease wanting to change everything does in fact help us to unwind.

Observing, with curiosity but without a will to modify or avoid different aspects of how our experience is deployed (thoughts, emotions, sensations) and cultivating a voluntary reengagement of attention on the specific empirical aspects of emotional experience is at the heart of this practice.

“We have to cultivate active acceptance in experiencing the present moment, whatever it may be.”

It’s both simple and difficult at once, since our natural tendency is to think of the past or the future, to insist on a linear relationship with time. It thus requires practice.

3.  Non-profit and secularWe live in a society of production, of paradox, of multi-tasking, of regret, of greed, of worry, and consequently of burn-out. Meditation becomes a necessary response, a method for learning to know oneself with gentleness and consideration. We cultivate these qualities of tolerance, non-judgment, openness and compassion.

To offer people the possibility of cultivating presence, of taking a moment, of stopping in order to have a different connection to oneself and others.

That is what Sitting Together offers within society.

“Today people are always judging, opposing. We are surrounded by conflicts and wars. From a neurological standpoint, we know that as soon as somebody is not part of the group, there is an impulse to exclude. Creating a group with the sole purpose of sitting together is a way to create a group without boundaries or borders.”

The movement seeks to appeal to and encourage us to practice something that could be beneficial to society.

If there was any hint of individual or commercial profit, that would mean that someone was trying to profit from the movement, and take advantage of society. This is the polar opposite of the values we seek to promote.

We are so inundated with advertising, commercials, incitements to consume, that it is imperative that we build trust and disinterested commitment. We see our political system in crisis, which has led to increased distrust, the cynical disinclination to believe any claims or promises to do good to others or for society. It’s only natural that people will be wary of a new movement, suspecting hidden motives, possibly a scam or a cult.

This is one of the goals of Sitting Together: to reinstill confidence and belief in collective action.

Moreover, Sitting Together sees an obligation to be secular. It is essential that his movement suit and accept everyone, whatever their cultural origins or religious inclinations. Furthermore, Sitting Together is just one idea among many, and does not claim to have the best vision or offer a single universal truth. The movement seeks to provide a space and to create the circumstances in which everyone can sample what they want, without coercion or constraints.

“It is not an ideology, but an offering of possibility.”

4.  Why street actions are important“Creating a bubble for myself. On the steps of the Opera House amidst the hectic noise of traffic. What I liked most was the realization that we can all allow ourselves 5 minutes out of the day. This is the perfect opportunity to remember that.”

Sitting in the street is not easy

If anyone is wondering why we want to meditate outside, why not keep it an intimate matter in the private domain, we would answer this:

Mindful meditation was not conceived as an individual activity, but as an ethical move aiming to waken one’s conscience to interdependence.

Altruism and compassion are not poses we seek to adopt, but rather the natural result of a cured mind, one that no longer feels fear, hatred or jealousy. In that light, mindful mediation outdoors is an important means to train the mind. Moreover, those who have already experienced the benefits of meditation through frequent application know that it is one of the loveliest, easiest and least costly solutions for conflict. Among the incarcerated, for instance, the practice of meditation has proven to yield a significant reduction in violence. Certain countries, such as Thailand, India or Japan, have meditation well-integrated within their societies’ cultures and rituals. In this case, it’s a Confucian philosophy to instill beneficent communal living.

Sitting together thus seeks to be a voluntarily activist movement so that the West too can find a political space, a pivotal space for relations and the peaceful resolution of conflicts resulting from agitated, frightened thinking.

This activism makes an appeal by offering a concrete, pragmatic and immediate solution.

What’s unique about mindful meditation is that it helps us to focus our attention more deeply within ourselves, but also to connect us to others in a spirit of consideration. Both within and without are no longer our enemies; rather, we learn to fuse them in the subtlety and nuance of a complex, integrated thought process.

Faced with the immense potential of this ancient practice that can transform us and our society by reducing violent or aggressive impulses, it seems more and more a likely remedy to society’s ills, more powerful than any political platform.

Meditation teaches us not to reject anything, and to use all of our life forces so tht each new step forward is taken with respect for all and neglect for no one. Thus, it is fundamentally a movement of fellowship, which seeks to eliminate racism, osetracism and the excessivem needless consumption that is damaging our planet.

Thus have a few of us crossed that threshold to sit down in the street, as a living manifesto, announcing the advent of unexplored possibilities:

And if the people allowed themselves a moment of silence and room to breathe in public spaces, if they dared to embrace the humility and simplicity of examining within themselves

their suffering, scars, battles and fears, rather than to throw these in the faces of others, creating stress, burn-out, hatred, withdrawal and sometimes even drug abuse as a palliative?

Why is this simple gesture, so essential and authentic, free of cost and without selfish purpose, so appealing to us? Because it is ordinary, it brings us back to earth and allows us to discover that we are all brothers and sisters, that we are not in competition, and if we simply listen to and help one another we can cohabitate in peace.

Thus, sitting in the street leads us to:

put ourselves in a position of humility. invite and sensitize other passersby, creating a physical space that both allows and

protects meditation without asking for anything else in return, or any commitment: you sit, you meditate and you go on your way.

provoke a collective event: being together is difficult! This is an experience that challenges our habits

create an artistic and esthetically pleasing happening: the beauty of people seated in meditation draws us into a contemplation of what it means to be human, simply and without agitation

learn to be together: the organization of each event is a challenge

Simultaneous Universal Connection

The principle here is focused on the emergence of a whole from scattered pieces – events organized simultaneously in different spots on the planet. This will generate a sense of being intensely “alive,” with oneself and with others at the same time, across the universe. That in turn creates a sense of being connected, centered and at peace, and of rediscovering inner strength. Knowing that this doesn’t belong exclusively to us, wanting to embody the universality of this practice beyond boundaries and borders. A number of applications already allow us to see just who is meditating throughout the world.

Fellowship and piece deployed against all war…

Example:

“Why did I want to get involved with founding Sitting Together (SAE) Dijon? I already knew how much meditation had changed my life for the better, towards a sense of well-being. I was convinced that these ancient practices passed down from four corners of the world over centuries were a gift to humanity.

It is essential in our lives today to nourish ourselves with what inspires us, rather than remain blinded in an atmosphere of commercial competition and oblivious over-consumption, both of which are damaging the earth’s ecology and resources.

Nourishing myself better at every level (body, soul, mind) and with mindfulness was an essential resolution in my life, and SAE is a key ingredient, the fruit of that same tree, tended with little joys that have made me a happy person.”

5.  Meditation Means Involvement

Kelly Wilson is the American psychologist behind ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy)[1] <#_ftn1> . He has placed a focus on the notion of values as a factor motivating involvement and commitment.

Wilson always begins treatment by sharing his history. Three of his brothers have died. He himself was a drug addict and dealer as a young man, spending times in squalid, dangerous neighborhoods. One day, however, he decided that life wasn’t for him, and he made a series of decisions to correct his life course around what was important for him and his family. Through this sharing, Wilson tries to prove that whatever our vulnerability may be, it is always possible to make the choice to take care of oneself. He suggests that if he, despite his background, had found the courage to discover the kind of person he wanted to be, anyone could. It’s merely a question of choices, commitment and courage.

Our being is like a garden. Depending on the seeds we sow, and the manner in which we tend them, all outcomes are possible. Kelly Wilson asks us the critical question: What values do we want to plant? And what actions are we willing to take to push our lives in that direction?

Our behavioral commitment can be derailed by the steady stream of unconscious thoughts that continually barrage our brains, like birds that soar into the infinite sky of our thinking: “impossible, always, never, etc.”

We can’t prevent those birds from crossing in the sky nor tune out their cawing. We are not, however, obliged to follow them. We can simply acknowledge that they are there, give them a respectful nod and retrain our gaze towards the garden we are cultivating.

This is what mindful meditation training offers.

According to Kelley Wilson, there are eight techniques that enable us to take care of ourselves and maintain a worthwhile life:

1) Move your body: Resist sedentarism, be in motion.2) Eat food that has not been treated: beware of industrially-produced food, which causes

obesity and depression.3) Allow yourself proper sleep: many psychological disturbances can be traced back to

lack of sleep4) Cultivate your social network: the main factor that affects our ageing and lifespan is the

quality of our social connections.5) Cultivate mindfulness in our daily living: take the time to be really there, doing what

you are doing in the moment.6) Reduce toxins: drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, prescription medication.7) Take significant action: be committed to your life by taking action in a way that is

meaningful to you – don’t be a bystander or consumer of life.8) Practice self-compassion: we are imperfect beings, so our attitudes towards our failings

matter. We must have sympathy for our shortcomings, and cease fixating on results.

These eight techniques are all abetted by mindfulness, even the simple act of moving, and of rediscovering vital joy, because meditation improves vitality by “scrubbing away” the heavy thoughts that sink us. Sitting Together is a decisive step towards a cure, and the good health of all. It is a question of public health, in fact.

“All those people on their feet all day – many of them are suffering, they are stressed. We can say ‘stop!’ We aren’t obligated to move in that way. It exists, but it can’t be forced. There is a mindfulness, a step towards growth, we’re at the very start of all this… we are part of what’s being born. We are also aware that we’re hitting a wall in many areas. Everything is moving too quickly. Many will want to say ‘What’s happening to me? What does all of this mean? What connection do I want between my life and others?’ It’s just a seed now, and we’re trying to give it shape. It’s a living thing, full of creative potential.”

6.  Letting Go of Competitiveness: Sitting Together in Early Education Sitting together is knowing how to connect in equality with others. Sitting Together also hopes to impact children, as a fulcrum in education.

“When we sit with someone, we’re more inclined to talk to him, to walk together, to have a drink. How does this act of inactivity connect people? We’re sitting on the ground. There is deep respect for what unites us.”

“I have chosen to use the incredibly fertile terrain embodied by children, who have open hearts and minds. To connect to themselves and other differently than through competition. To live from the inside out, as if by magic.”

Why offer the opportunity to grow, fully present in oneself and mindful – to children? Because it’s crucial: for them, for the world, for the planet. In a world dominated by competition, we propose to be there, together, connected by the humanity that ties us together.

Sitting Together invites all children to develop a gentle attention towards themselves. Out of the desire to go, step by step, day by day, towards a “Living Together” that is richer and more respectful of our differences.

The benefits of mindfulness for each child

Little by little, the child will learn to get in touch with inner resources at her disposal, and which ordinarily would go unremarked and untapped. These resources in attentiveness and self-compassion will then infuse the whole life of each child who learns this practice, at his pace, accompanied by adults – parents, counselors, teachers – who have the child’s well-being at heart.

This attentiveness, cultivated optimally be each child will allow for the development of concentration, a powerful skill in the child’s educational trajectory.

Progressing to adulthood with full confidence, aware of one’s potential to change the world

The child will gradually learn how emotions fit into our world, and how at any moment, she can create a safe space within herself, even when difficult emotions must be confronted.

He learns that his emotions are useful messengers that reflect his values and his needs. Seen in light of his experiences, he learns that everything changes and nothing lasts.

Children thus acquire greater confidence in themselves, with full awareness of their abilities, in order to traverse the less comfortable passages of their journey, anchored to themselves in mindful presence.

What emerges naturally from this philosophy is a gentleness toward the world, the planet and every feeling being within it.

Guided by experience of attending to herself, her feelings, and through interactions with her schoolmates, she will take stock of her potential to act mindfully.

Towards a non-violent world. “When you make a choice, you change the future.” (Deepak Chopra)

No child likes violence. And yet, violence and aggression have taken root in our schools, and in the interactions between children and adults.

By creating a space for dialogue and exploration in a secure and considerate environment, each child will realize that she can interact with respect and kindness, taking care of herself and of others in the world.

Sitting Together – a project for children

Sitting Together with children is coming. Children above all have a need to be heard, to offer their vision of the world and events in it. Often taken for granted, “forgotten citizens” (per Maria Montessori) in a world of adults who have decreed that children have no voice in the current chapter. And yet, during discussions with children on their terrain, we have been able to take stock of their potential for foresight, clear thinking and philosophizing on the topic of “Living Together,” and the lessons we draw from our experiences.

In Sweden, children take classes in empathy. Mindful meditation is a direct and empirical training program for empathy, because when the mind is calm and the child welcome his inner world of thought, he is less afraid of others, and feels more able to confront challenges, without experimenting with stages of rebelliousness.

Listened to, respected by adults, children feel their humanity and their individuality is recognized, along with their individual wealth of resources. Their behavior is thus transformed on it own, and non-violence takes hold, far from a single mold of conformism.

The attitude of adults is critical:

Each participant in Sitting Together makes a commitment, one day at a time, to work on herself and her own emotions, with flexibility and self-compassion. Children instinctively sense this. To see an adult question their own thoughts and listen to children comes initially as a shock. Then, quickly, they feel taken into account, and dare to open their hearts to exteriorize their concerns, stresses and preoccupations.

Having been heard, they can then trust the group with their bodies and minds, and allow themselves simply to be, with each other, in this subtle and enveloping energy.

Ecoutés, respectés par un adulte, les enfants se sentent reconnus dans leur humanité et dans leur singularité, leurs richesses personnelles. Leur comportement se transforme alors de lui-même, la non-violence infuse ; bien loin d’un moule unique. La posture de l’adulte est centrale :Chaque intervenant de S’asseoir Ensemble s’engage jour après jour, à travailler sur lui et ses propres émotions, avec souplesse et auto-compassion. Les enfants le ressentent. Voir un adulte qui se remet en question et qui les écoute les surprend beaucoup au départ. Puis, très vite ils se sentent considérés et osent ouvrir leur cœur pour extérioriser leurs soucis, leur stress et leurs préoccupations.

Après avoir été entendus, ils peuvent alors déposer leur corps, leur esprit dans le groupe, et juste être là, les uns avec les autres, dans cette énergie subtile et enveloppante.

“We are what we repeatedly do.” Aristotle

Sitting together is therefore an expansive program that can help to change the world. Bringing that change to schools is key to spreading it naturally into society.

7.  Sitting Together, a Political MovementThrough the act of Sitting Together, we are raising questions about our way of being, living and being together. These questions are political question in the noblest sense of the concept. Indeed, a classic definition of the word “political” is that which relates to the public domain, the body politic. The current political model privileges a liberal world of needs, satisfaction of needs through consumption and leisure.

Sitting Together offers an alternative way of being in society: simply through the process of sitting down, being connected to others and taking a moment.

This philosophy is a political movement, even if it is not easily inscribed within any traditional political philosophy, because it posits the idea, momentarily, of being something beyond consumption and leisure, to be together and simply consider another, rather than be driven by liberal economic forces.

Stress impairs our consciousness and leads us to hold views that are often out of keeping with reality. This also explains why it has become increasingly difficult to align with the views of those who would govern us.

Being silent

while simply being there

renders visible that which words impoverish

or render invisible. 

This concept allows us to seek the truth behind words. It allows us to return to the origins of what ties us together, and makes the tie. Being silent allows us to be present and available to ourselves. It enriches and nourishes us across a sensorial experience offered by this new mode of being in contact with each other. It allow us to listen, at a time when many people are speaking, griping, yammering and even barking in a violent relational framework.

It’s been said that the political model we evoked above is part and parcel of Modernism. Yet, in a post-Modern society, younger generations envisage a more collaborative future. Ownership will no longer be the norm. Sharing of goods is becoming more and more widespread with the help of smartphone applications. We are sharing our cars, our public transit, our apartments, or washing machines… there’s even an application to help you find a bathroom in town.

Is it possible to live more simply, more authentically, more humbly and more mindful of one’s environment and the present moment?

Sitting Together allows us to touch upon these questions, the answers to which will be highly personal.

Sharing, altruism, ecology, humanism, respect, consideration, etc. By becoming mindful, we each are able to choose the mode in which we hope to cultivate these ideals.

Sitting Together is a political movement because it allows a social alternative.

Sitting together is like Pascal’s wager. We are betting that in today’s world, given our current context, we can only win by slowing down, sitting down and just being together in mindfulness of the self, of the other, of the moment.

So it is that we invite you to join our movement, by joining our association or simply by coming and trying to meditate during one of the street events we organize, and which are entirely free of charge or mercenary designs.

But we are also offering to get out there, to create sites of meditative practice and initiate interested people, in public spaces, within companies and of course, in the political chambers, assemblies, gatherings and before critical debates are scheduled to take place. More wisdom, moderation and humanity can only lead a people, the people, to move in the direction that most benefits the community.Sitting together has spread to a number of countries and we are convinced that in the future, the wager is won: Society will become mindful, lucid about what truly brings happiness and unites its members.

See you soon!Our website: sasseoir-ensemble.frOn facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sasseoirensemble/Email: sasseoirensemble@gmail.com

Twitter : @asseyons_nous

Instagram : @mediteravecnous

[1] One of six facets of the ACT approach is observation. An other is presence. In this way, ACT is a sister-therapy to mindfulness. Both teach third-wave behavioral and cognitive therapies.