Humanity’s future may depend upon strengthening our agency.

Multiple interconnected crises call for skilful response on a global scale - but our capacity for intentional action in our collective best interest is underdeveloped and increasingly undermined.

This discussion paper opens a dialogue on the contribution of evidence-based mindfulness training to individual and collective agency.

Beyond a ‘nice to have’ wellbeing benefit in the workplace or an alternative to prescription drugs, we’ll discuss how cultivating the innate capacity of mindfulness and its essential qualities such as attention regulation, receptivity, meta-cognition, cognitive flexibility, embodiment, emotion regulation and kindness could be foundational in responding to the complex challenges of the 21st Century.

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[Version 04 released Nov 2020]

 

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You can offer your reflections or feedback on this discussion paper here. To support the continuation of debate on this topic, the Mindfulness Initiative will shortly announce an essay competition and a further discussion panel, where we will invite other researchers, thinkers and innovators to offer their perspectives. Sign up to our newsletter to receive updates.
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Writing: Jamie Bristow & Rosie Bell
Research: Jamie Bristow, Rosie Bell & Dan Nixon

Bristow, J., Bell, R., Nixon, D. (2020). Mindfulness: developing agency in urgent times.
The Mindfulness Initiative. https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org/agency-in-urgent-times/