Nate Klemp, philosopher and writer, talks about practicing mindfulness in a technology-dependent world. They discuss screen addiction, exploring new perspectives through gun culture and psychedelic therapy, the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, and the importance of nature for grounding and staying present.
Excessive screen time addiction in our hyper-connected world hinders inner reflective silence and requires conscious indulgence to break free.
Transitioning to an open mind involves embracing nature, engaging in formal and street meditation, and challenging preconceived notions through experiences like psychedelic therapy.
Deep dives
The Challenge of Disconnecting from a Hyper-Connected World
The podcast episode explores the topic of finding one's way back to inner reflective silence in a hyper-connected world. The guest, Nate Klem, discusses his book 'Open Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World.' He highlights the prevalence of screen addiction and the negative impact of excessive screen time on our minds. Nate shares his personal journey of overcoming screen addiction and emphasizes the need to address this modern-day challenge.
The Impact of Screen Addiction
The podcast highlights staggering statistics on screen addiction, including the average American adult spending 11 hours per day on electronic devices, and the compulsive frequency of phone usage, such as 2600 taps, types, swipes, or clicks per day. The discussion dives into the psychological aspects of screen addiction, touching on the aversion to silence and the constant need for novelty. Nate shares his own experience of craving novelty and employs tactics like conscious indulgence to break free from screen addiction.
Transitioning from a Closed Mind to an Open Mind
The podcast delves into the first part of Nate's book, which outlines the characteristics of a closed mind, including self-exile, screen addiction, and political polarization. Nate emphasizes the importance of transitioning to an open or expansive mind and explores various paths towards openness. These paths, outlined in the book, include the psychedelic opening, opening to the enemy, open meditation, and street opening. Nate shares personal experiences like attending NRA training and engaging in psychedelic-assisted therapy to challenge preconceived notions and foster openness.
The Role of Nature and the Power of Meditation
The podcast acknowledges the significance of nature in expanding the mind and the potential grounding effect it can have. While meditation is discussed, Nate highlights the need for both formal meditation practice and street meditation, where one embraces the present moment in daily life situations. The conversation acknowledges the potential benefits of meditation in quieting the mind, encountering the preconceptual nature of each moment, and opening oneself to deeper sources of thinking. The importance of nature and its influence on expansive thinking is acknowledged as a possible direction for further exploration.
A conversation with Nate Klemp, a philosopher, writer, and founding partner at Mindfulness Magazine, on practicing mindfulness in our fast-paced, technology-dependent world. He is also co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Start Here.” Songs in this episode: “Nausicaa” by Glass Wave and “Dayvan Cowboy” by Boards of Canada.
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