Meditate, You Big Jerk!
Posted by: Luke in business, tags: charity, compassion, jerks, mean, meditate, meditation, richSome people are apparently born heartless. They focus so hard on their own ego that they don’t have a clue how to treat others. Some of them are the most wealthy in the world. Jon writes:
Frequently, they’ll:
- Leave behind a trail of broken marriages and forgotten children
- Lose the life savings of their friends and relatives on an ingenious but doomed business
- Refuse to lend anyone money or give to charity
- Avoid unnecessary expenses to the point of miserliness
- Treat everyone that can’t help them as if they’re expendable
He cites Donald Trump, Simon Cowel, and the fictional Dr. House as examples of how such extreme focus can lead to being a jerk.
You don’t have to be a jerk to focus though. Meditation consists of holding a focus thought in your mind for an extended period of time. What you focus on most tends to expand as your brain adapts itself to respond to it.
Scientific American had an article on this very subject. The neurological responses of meditators who used compassionate feeling as a focus was measured:
When engaged in compassionate meditation, the brain region known as the insula burst into action when the expert meditators heard the sound of a woman in distress. (The insula—a part of the limbic system—has been associated with the visceral feeling of emotion, a key part of empathizing with another’s emotional state.)
And when these experts heard the female screams or the sound of a baby laughing, their brains showed more activity than the novices in areas like the right temporal-parietal juncture, which plays a role in understanding another’s emotion.
Jerks who focus solely on money ought to take some time out and focus on compassion. It only takes, what, 40 minutes per day? Or can’t they fit that into their busy schedule?
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April 1st, 2008 at 5:48 pm - Edit
Taking time out to actually look inside your mind and see your thoughts for what they are is the most important time that people can take in a day.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:04 pm - Edit
About your comment @ Bradblogging.com..
I see no Orange RSS Subscribe button.. How can i subscribe to your feeds? (Hint: Theres a big reason why that number you said isn’t increasing!!)
Cya. Brad
April 1st, 2008 at 6:32 pm - Edit
Brad, thanks for pointing that out. I need to add that right away!
Steve, thanks for the comment. You are absolutely right. Your blog looks like a tremendously cool resource!
April 20th, 2008 at 7:55 pm - Edit
Great discussion! You’ve got a good blog going here.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm - Edit
I think that our country and society teaches us to be overly productive at times- this must definately lead to less focus on ourselves (obesity, depression, etc are higher than ever). I enjoy meditation to counter this problem and focus on myself for a change.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:16 am - Edit
Meditation is a great way to connect with your spirituality. Not only that but we can actually heal our mind and body through meditation.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:59 pm - Edit
ive found meditation is WONDERFUL after a stressful day with the kids. i like your blog, check me out! :]
Ang