Explanation of Meditation @ Occupy WallStreet from WhatMeditationReallyIs on Vimeo.

Since this site is based on creating community and since community is more than “meditators,” or “nurses,” or “bloggers,” or…whatever, it seems fitting to include this video, from the site – What Meditation Really Is – on this site.

Erric Solomon,Executive Director of the What Meditation Really Is website, filmed this interview with Anthony Whitehurst, one of the organizers of this meditation gathering.

In context of what’s happening with the “occupation” of Wall Street, it seems fitting to have a piece on meditation and its place in this event. Since meditation is about changing our mind, about becoming less distracted and more compassionate, and since the Wall Street and financial crises could be viewed as one social-lapse in mindfulness and compassion, it seems reasonable to meditate on Wall Street as a way to bring attention to a practice that can benefit everyone.

In this video, Anthony mentioned that the meditation group is open to everyone, “..for anyone, from any faith…if you have a belly-button, you’re welcome…” I think that this point, while sounding somewhat playful and casual, cannot be understated. Meditation is not just for contemplatives, or for mystics; it’s not about isolating oneself within a doctrine or religion. Meditation is about connecting to something larger than oneself. Whether this “something larger” is one’s “buddha nature,” or “divine self,” or simply a deeper part of one’s mind that all humans have, meditation can be a way to connect to one’s commonness with others rather than separateness.

When we think about what has been highlighted in the financial crisis that has been engulfing our country as well as the rest of the world, and then think about the “Arab Spring,” as well as the ongoing social unrest that has spread throughout the Middle-east, we can see that the need for change, on a global scale, is a central theme.

Remember the phrase, “think globally, act locally“? Well, meditation is one way to work on the most intimate local level – one’s mind – for the benefit of others.

Here’s an out of the box thought experiment: can you imagine how different our present financial situation would be if all of the people in congress, all of the investors on Wall Street, even all of the large corporations, took time every day to meditate on the interdependence and connectedness of the world’s inhabitants, or the world’s ecosystems, or the world’s resources?

Through meditating, we can change the world, one-person-at-a-time. Maybe through meditating on Wall Street, we can change the economic imperatives of the world, one-business-at-a-time.

What do you think? Is meditation within the occupation of Wall Street worthwhile?

For more information on how to meditate, please see the Related Posts below. Also, don’t forget to download the free ebook, Can Meditation Change the Way that You View Your World?, for help with getting started in you meditation practice. Also, you can now download the new ebook, How to Work with the Four Distractions to Meditation to learn how to deal with some of the obstacles to meditation.

NEW – this site has a new page, Media, where you can find articles, MP3 tracks for downloading, and videos on the subject of meditation.

As always, please feel free to share your comments. And, as always, please feel free to contact me if you’d like to see additional content or other discussions on this site.