{"id":4046,"date":"2015-07-13T10:34:45","date_gmt":"2015-07-13T14:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=4046"},"modified":"2015-07-13T10:34:45","modified_gmt":"2015-07-13T14:34:45","slug":"i-forgot-to-take-a-selfie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2015\/07\/i-forgot-to-take-a-selfie.html","title":{"rendered":"I Forgot to Take a Selfie!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_0366\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was at Moss Glen Falls recently. These stunning little falls are on Route 100 in Warren, Vermont. I stopped and took photographs and video footage of them. When I was leaving and getting ready to get back onto my motorcycle, I saw a couple taking a selfie in front of the falls.<\/p>\n

I thought to myself for a moment, “Oh that might have been a good marketing shot.” But then I realized that I was more interested in the natural phenomenon itself than promoting myself. I kept walking back to my motorcycle and departed, enjoying that\u00a0brief moment of anonymity–there would be no record of “me” at the scene.<\/p>\n

Really, why would you want to see me in front of those falls? Why would I? Lest I sound holier than thou, I have certainly taken selfies and will continue to do so at times.<\/p>\n

I am more interested in my state of mind when I took this photo–in a strong sense of present moment awareness.<\/p>\n

Consider the fabulous popularity of selfie sticks. I think this is a material sign–an emblem if you will–for the the Age of Narcissism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even politicians\u00a0are practicing the art of the selfie<\/a> and voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Does all this attention to ourselves lead to happiness. The answer appears to be no.<\/p>\n

What about self-sufficiency that does not require “me” in the picture. Taking pictures of ourselves just tends to reinforce the notion of self as something that can “have” experiences (as in the sense of ownership) rather than emerging out of the moment by moment process of being alive.<\/p>\n

The Buddha attested that more happiness could be found from a self-in-process over a self-as-thing.<\/p>\n

I don’t know if I will ever own a selfie stick. I first encountered them overseas where they were very popular among Asian tourists. I am sure the phenomenon will take over the States, if it hasn’t already<\/a>. I hope I can somehow get through my life without one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was at Moss Glen Falls recently. These stunning little falls are on Route 100 in Warren, Vermont. I stopped and took photographs and video footage of them. When I was leaving and getting ready to get back onto my motorcycle, I saw a couple taking a selfie in front of the falls. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4046"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4052,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4046\/revisions\/4052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}