Thought provoking conundrum

I’m always hearing these things about how the poor just need to practice mindfulness. It makes me think, "Why would I want to be any more in the present moment than I already f*cking am?" The rational response to a miserable situation is not pleasant mindful gratitude.

{The wealthy} think, if they can just make people a little more chipper about being oppressed. Problem {for the poor and oppressed} is, if you just ignore all the hard sh*t in your life, you’ll never change anything. It’s a way of making the poor bovine. It’s a systemic disorder, not an internal disorder. It’s much f*cking easier to be happy when you’re not worried about the electric bill.

~~from an interview with Linda Tirado, author of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America from America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks by Ruth Whippman
 
officerripley said:
I’m always hearing these things about how the poor just need to practice mindfulness. It makes me think, "Why would I want to be any more in the present moment than I already f*cking am?" The rational response to a miserable situation is not pleasant mindful gratitude.

{The wealthy} think, if they can just make people a little more chipper about being oppressed. Problem {for the poor and oppressed} is, if you just ignore all the hard sh*t in your life, you’ll never change anything. It’s a way of making the poor bovine. It’s a systemic disorder, not an internal disorder. It’s much f*cking easier to be happy when you’re not worried about the electric bill.

~~from an interview with Linda Tirado, author of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America from America the Anxious: How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks by Ruth Whippman
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The "pursuit of happiness" is in of itself a recipe for discontent. The poor(if anyone) would be in the most favorable position to practice mindfulness(AKA- in the moment), as they are less encumbered by materialism, which is a burden and a distraction. The wealthy think that they have reached the pinnacle of success in life, but from a spiritual perspective they are prisoners of their own confinement.
 


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