"Buying Wisdom: The Art of Mindful Networking"

Luminaries from Google, Facebook and Twitter joined a cohort of techies to discuss the intersection of wisdom and technology at the Wisdom 2.0 conference in Silicon Valley. Tricycle magazine contributing editor and Huffington Post writer Richard Eskow attended and came back less than impressed:

“There’s a revolutionary, fast-paced, and transformative wave sweeping through the elite cultures of the 21st century—but it’s not what its boosters think it is. It’s a wave not of technology but of narcissism, and it’s cresting at the intersection of wealth, corporate power, and guilt, as the rich and wannabe rich nourish their acquisitive drives with expressions of self-love…”

If “mindfulness” is to create genuine change in our society, it must involve being mindful of more than just our own need for comfort, good health, or serenity. It must entail being mindful of the social and economic forces that allow some to prosper while others struggle, forces that promote and perpetuate certain behaviors and thought patterns while discouraging or suppressing others. Without that awareness, “mindfulness” will quickly descend into another luxury item that permits the few to ignore the impact of their behavior on others. If they are to attain the significance to which they aspire, conferences like Wisdom 2.0 must open themselves up to a broader kind of awareness than they can achieve by promoting a feel-good, tunnel-vision version of “mindfulness.”

“Buying Wisdom: The Art of Social Networking,”  appears in the current issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

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James Shaheen
646-461-9847

Rachel Hiles
646-461-9848