What I found most intriguing about Sydney’s analysis of contemplative practices was the relationship between her argument and the concept of individualization as a whole. Indeed, her conclusion that “finding solutions to a complex problem first requires an analysis of one’s relationship to it” brought me straight back to Michael Pollan and Michael Maniates. In this way, I will agree with Sydney’s thesis and further a brief argument that reflecting on contemplative practices works against the pitfalls of individualization.
What power does the individual have in influencing a system larger than itself? How should this answer change how we approach problem solving?
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A chilling case-study of individualization can be found in reviewing Pollan’s New York Times Magazine article “Unhappy Meals”. In Pollan’s universe, problems like industrialization of agriculture can be addressed by eating carrots rather than chips. Pollan fails Sydney’s test because no aspect of his argument attempts to analyze the power of the individual in relation to the power of the existing structures that he claims must be changed. This is to say that Pollan’s solutions cannot be comprehensive for want of self-reflection.
In contrast to Pollan, Maniates’ article “Individualization: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World?” (abstract) embraces Sydney’s thesis in its recognition that the power of the individual relative to the system they seek to change determines the feasibility of making a difference at all. Maniates’ solutions to climate change are thus comprehensive to the extent that they recognize power limits inherent to an individual.
Examining Sydney’s thesis is how I’ve come to understand the relationship between contemplative practices which force integrative thinking and the validity of the solutions furthered by the authors we read for this course. Though I agree that the utility derived from these practices is contingent on my mood, going through them shows me which authors have considered their relationship to the structures they study and which haven’t.
For further reading, and to address Sydney’s point that finding the correct headspace is necessary to reap the benefits of contemplative practices, I suggest this article on learning to meditate which proved quite helpful in teaching me how to approach these contemplative practices after a number of admitted failures.
