Valuable thread on how to “do” “do-nothing” style of meditation: “No experience whatsoever - no thoughts, no reactivity, no pain, no energetic contraction, nothing - is a sign of a problem. No possible experience is signifying that you’re doing something wrong.”
Cool theory paper that argues that coherence between our physiology and subjective experience is an important facet of well-being. Certainly one purported benefit of a variety of meditation practice is some notion of unity between parts. Lots of somatic work, parts work, etc also takes as its primary goal a sort of negotiated peace / deescalation of conflict between aspects of ourselves. (Thread summary here)
Another angle on bigness / smallness in how we can do good in the world from Steve Waldman. Here the author draws the distinction as between “situated” and “unsituated” virtues:
What do I mean by "situated" and "unsituated" virtues? Unsituated virtues are virtues we can all recognize based on widely shared information and values. Situated virtues, on the other hand, are legible only within the context of specific institutions or circumstances. Only insiders, suffused in real-time institutional knowledge that would be difficult to formalize or communicate broadly, even perceive the choice set under which some actions would be virtuous and others destructive. Situated virtues encourage action that would further the mission of an institution in ways too indirect or internal or intuitive to easily communicate, let alone justify, to outsiders.
He makes an even more extreme argument than what I’ve contended— that a focus on unsituated virtues actually undermines our ability to solve problems in the world.
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