Can Meditation Improve Politics? Chris Ruane and Jamie Bristow
Chris Ruane, a Welsh MP, and Jamie Bristow, Director of The Mindfulness Initiative, detail their work bringing mindfulness to the British Parliament. They discuss how it improves relationships, communication, and decision-making among politicians, and its potential for wider societal impact.
Deep Dive Analysis
13 Topic Outline
Introduction to the British Parliament Mindfulness Experiment
Chris Ruane's Personal Journey into Meditation and Mindfulness
Jamie Bristow's Path to Mindfulness and The Mindfulness Initiative
Initial Reception and Cross-Party Engagement in UK Parliament
Impact of Mindfulness on Political Discourse, including Brexit
The Global Rise of Mental Ill-Health and Depression
The 'Crisis of Values' and Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivations
Mindfulness and Ego in Public Life
Mindfulness Initiatives Beyond UK Parliament (US, Cities, Wales)
Mindfulness for Objectivity and Bias in Policymaking
Benefits of Mindfulness for Politicians' Performance
Listener Voicemail: Switching Meditation Focus Points
Listener Voicemail: Meditation for Decision-Making
5 Key Concepts
Shadow Minister
In the British Parliament, a shadow minister is an opposition Member of Parliament who scrutinizes a specific government department and its minister, acting as their counterpart in the opposition party.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Values
Intrinsic values are motivations centered on community, love, relationships, meaning, and purpose. Extrinsic values, conversely, are driven by external factors like fame, material wealth, and status. Research suggests these two sets of values often inhibit each other.
Crisis of Values
This concept describes a societal disconnect where a large majority of people (around 75%) prioritize intrinsic values, yet they believe a similar majority of others are extrinsically motivated. This creates a 'prisoner's dilemma' where individuals may act against their true values due to perceived societal pressures.
Metacognition
Metacognition refers to the ability to gain perspective on one's own thoughts and emotions. This allows individuals to separate themselves from their ideas, enabling a more mature discourse where ideas can be critiqued without being perceived as personal attacks.
Homo Sapien Sapien
A term attributed to John Kabat-Zinn, meaning 'the man who is aware that he is aware.' It highlights the unique human capacity for self-awareness and conscious reflection on one's own mental processes.
7 Questions Answered
Chris Ruane, an MP, initiated free mindfulness classes in January 2013 after personally benefiting from meditation. Initially, there was some skepticism, but 22 MPs and peers joined the first class, with Ruane recruiting by tailoring his pitch to individuals' needs.
While it hasn't completely transformed the political landscape, it has fostered better relationships and more considered dialogue among the minority of politicians committed to the practice. Some report a different tone in conversations and bringing more of their authentic selves into interactions.
The World Health Organization projects that by 2030, depression will become the biggest health burden on the planet, surpassing other health issues.
Theories include the decline in community and rise of atomization (Robert Putnam's 'Bowling Alone'), the impact of advertising making people unhappy (Oliver James' 'Affluenza'), the influence of social media and algorithms, and damage to gut bacteria from processed food and overuse of antibiotics.
Yes, mindfulness can help bring ego and ambition into better balance with one's deeper intentions. The key is the 'intention' behind actions: if it's about creating a better self, community, or world, then ego can be directed positively rather than being solely about self-promotion.
Yes, using sensations in the hands or other body parts as an object of meditation is totally fine. Over time, it can be beneficial to extend this awareness to the whole body, but it's advised to switch focus in a somewhat 'stately fashion' rather than too rapidly to maintain orderliness in practice.
Yes, one method is to 'seed your mind' with the question at the beginning of meditation, then drop the question and meditate as usual without actively contemplating it. This can create a space for new connections and insights to emerge, and sitting with the ambiguity of 'not knowing' can lead to deeper discernment.
31 Actionable Insights
1. Prepare for Future Adversity
Proactively develop coping mechanisms and resilience (your ‘parachute’) during stable times, so you are equipped to handle unexpected setbacks and challenges when they inevitably arise.
2. Set Connection Intention in Mindfulness
Before meditating, consciously set an intention to connect with yourself, others (loved ones, those you’re indifferent to, and those you dislike), and the broader world, fostering a sense of interconnectedness.
3. Examine Action Intentions
Before acting, reflect on your motivations; if your actions are solely driven by ego rather than a desire to improve yourself, your community, or the world, consider re-evaluating your approach.
4. Prioritize Intrinsic Values
Focus on cultivating community, love, relationships, purpose, and generativity, as these are reported to be more important for human happiness than extrinsic values like fame or material wealth.
5. Cultivate Awe and Perspective
Regularly appreciate the vastness of the cosmos and recognize your place within it, which can diminish ego-centric concerns and foster a sense of interconnectedness and responsibility.
6. Develop Metacognition for Emotional Perspective
Mindfulness cultivates the ability to observe your thoughts and emotions without being consumed by them, allowing for a more measured and less reactive response.
7. Separate Identity from Ideas
Cultivate the ability to view your ideas with some distance, so that challenges to your concepts are not perceived as personal attacks, fostering more mature and constructive dialogue.
8. Practice Sitting with Ambiguity
Resist the urge to rush to an answer; instead, tolerate the discomfort of not knowing, as this can foster deeper discernment and allow more profound insights to surface.
9. Seed Mind with Question
If facing a big decision, gently introduce the question into your mind at the start of your meditation, then drop it and proceed with your regular practice, allowing insights to emerge naturally.
10. Acknowledge Motivation Spectrum
Understand that motivations for actions, even positive ones, can range from high-minded to self-serving; the goal is not to eliminate self-interest but to bring it into better balance with broader, positive intentions.
11. Strive for Motivation Balance
While personal gain or attention may persist, aim to integrate these desires with a greater sense of purpose and a focus on what truly matters, achieving a more balanced approach.
12. Pause and Breathe to De-escalate
In high-pressure situations, taking a visible pause and a deep breath can help calm the environment and allow for a more measured response.
13. Create Vulnerability Safe Spaces
By leaving political differences aside and sharing personal vulnerabilities in a confidential setting, deep bonds of friendship and understanding can be fostered.
14. Mindfulness for Focus and Impulse
Regular mindfulness can help manage information overload, enhance concentration, and develop greater self-regulation.
15. Engage in Self-Exploration through Meditation
Beyond self-regulation, meditation can lead to deeper self-understanding, prompting re-evaluation of life choices and career paths.
16. Explore Causes of Distress
Actively inquire into the factors contributing to your well-being and suffering, and consider how to adjust your life to cultivate more positive and fewer negative influences.
17. Explicitly Discuss Your Values
Engage in conversations about what truly matters to you and make your values explicit, rather than passively allowing external forces (like algorithms or advertising) to dictate your motivations.
18. Tailor Mindfulness Introduction
For those struggling, frame mindfulness as a supportive intervention to address their issues; for those in leadership, highlight how it enhances their understanding and effectiveness.
19. Frame Mindfulness as Leadership Tool
When introducing mindfulness in professional or high-stakes environments, emphasize its ability to enhance decision-making, public speaking, and overall leadership effectiveness, rather than solely as a well-being intervention.
20. Combine Mindfulness with Group Dialogue
To achieve broader cultural shifts, individual practice should be complemented by collective conversations on how to foster a more mindful, considered, and responsive environment.
21. Integrate Societal Context in Mindfulness
Expand mindfulness training to include reflection on the broader societal causes of distress and happiness, not just individual symptoms, to drive more profound systemic change.
22. Advocate Mindfulness from Grassroots
If top-down adoption is slow, encourage the spread of mindfulness at state, city, or individual levels, as public demand can drive broader cultural change.
23. Encourage Leaders to Meditate
Invite public figures to participate in mindfulness practices, even in simple settings like with children, to help them understand its benefits personally.
24. Use Mindfulness to Mitigate Bias
Engage in practices designed to increase awareness of your own objectivity and biases, which can help in making more equitable and considered decisions.
25. Use Body Sensations as Anchor
If you struggle to focus on the breath, it is acceptable to use other physical sensations, such as those in your hands, as your primary object of meditation.
26. Expand Body Awareness in Meditation
Gradually extend your focus from specific points (like hands) to encompass the entire body, developing a panoramic awareness that can improve daily attention and understanding of how subtle physical sensations influence behavior.
27. Switch Meditation Objects Deliberately
If changing your focus (e.g., from breath to hands), do so with intention and a measured pace to maintain orderliness and avoid a scattered practice.
28. Utilize Commute Time for Mindfulness
Download meditation podcasts and listen to them during travel, like train journeys, to deepen your practice and understanding.
29. Practice Tension-Relaxation with Breath
This technique, initially taught by a nurse, can be used for personal stress reduction and even adapted for teaching children.
30. Engage in Jeff Warren’s Meditation
Practice Jeff Warren’s ‘Training the Mind’ meditation, which guides you through five essential mental qualities for a comprehensive meditation experience.
31. Use Meditation for Focus
Jamie Bristow initially returned to meditation to improve his concentration and manage stress in a demanding job.
5 Key Quotes
The purpose of an advert is to make you unhappy with what you've got so that you'll purchase something else to make you happier.
Chris Ruane
If you're always looking around, you're never looking up. Or if you're never looking up, you're always looking around.
Dan Harris
Chris, a word of advice, work on your parachute before you need to open it.
John Kabat-Zinn
When we look back on the 20th century, the greatest thing that we will see is when Eastern wisdom has been met by Western science.
Chris Ruane
Man is homo sapien sapien. The man who is aware that he is aware.
Chris Ruane
1 Protocols
Meditation for Decision-Making (Joseph Goldstein's Method)
Joseph Goldstein (cited by Dan Harris)- At the beginning of a meditation session, seed your mind with the question or issue you are trying to figure out (e.g., 'Why am I about to do this?' or 'Should I do this next thing?').
- Drop the question and meditate as you normally would, focusing gently on your chosen object (e.g., breath).
- Every time you get distracted, gently bring your attention back to your meditation object.
- Do not actively contemplate or mull over the decision during the meditation; simply allow the meditative state to potentially foster new connections or insights.