After reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I was inspired to expand my knowledge of philosophy. Having used Coursera before, but rarely completing a class, I decided to see what they had on the topic.
Introduction to Philosophy, and Philosophy and the Sciences: Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences, both by the University of Edinburgh were nice introductory courses. I never realized how many branches and specializations there are in philosophy. After getting into the basics, I really wanted to read some works of classic philosophers, so next up was Reason and Persuasion: Thinking Through Three Dialogues By Plato, by the National University of Singapore.
I have to say, Plato is hard to read, but interesting. Tedious, but definitely interesting. I ended up buying the complete works of Plato, but only reading the three dialogues covered by the course. I plan on coming back to the others later on.
My philosophy interested got side tracked when I stumbled upon De-Mystifying Mindfulness by Leiden University. Part lecture and learning the basics and history of mindfulness, and part practical with lessons and sessions for actually practicing mindfulness (or meditation). I really enjoyed this class, and decided that it was time to start meditating on the regular, i.e., every day.
There’s so much research and evidence of the benefits of a regular mediation practice. It seems like such a simple thing to do, and why not do something so simple and easy, that could have such great benefit and impact?
It turns out, meditating takes practice, and determination. While simple, it’s not always easy. Making time, even just 5 minutes, sometimes seems like a great burden. I tried once a few years ago to meditate every day for 30 days. Guess what? Procrastination sets in, the latest book or tv show I’m into seems more appealing, and before you know it, it’s been several days without meditating. Even after being inspired by the book 10% Happier, I found it hard to create a lasting practice.
This time, I’m trying to create a habit and stick to it. My longest streak so far is 56 days. I still forget sometimes, and that’s ok. Perfection is not the goal, the practice is the goal. With an attitude of “don’t miss twice”, if I miss a day, that’s ok, I just do my best to not miss twice in a row.