• Suffering exists

• Suffering has a cause (desire)

• Suffering has an end

• There is a path that leads to the end of suffering (eightfold path)

From my experience, when I let of material desires and cravings, I’m better able to fully experience the world and revel in the joy and gratitude it brings.

This isn’t to say you should suppress your desires. Instead, when you “listen” to your thoughts and “hear” a desire pulling you in a direction, just “watch” the desire. Imagine touching or interacting with it, and obtaining the result of the desire.

Then, it’s easier to realize that the desire won’t help you achieve fulfillment, so it is easier to let it go. As you constantly practice this, you are better able to let go of desire in the future and put yourself out there as your truest and most genuine self!

So, when I go outside, I like to look for these phenomena that give me joy because they brighten my day and make me more motivated. There is even some research showing that happier workers were 12% more productive than their unhappier counterparts.

Looking for those signs that give you joy is a form of mindfulness that I recommend you practice if you are feeling down. These little things can be powerful and when accumulated, give happiness in the long run.

You can also help shape the environment for yourself and others to bring more joy by purposefully moving things around and hanging bright, fun pieces around!

The difference is that a mindful person is always aware to what you are doing in the present without judgement. Let’s unpack that:

1. Being aware to what you are doing has a prerequisite that you are only doing one thing. If you are multitasking, you are not putting your full attention into either task. In fact, we become less efficient when multitasking according to this research.

2. Being present means your attention is focused on what is currently happening, and you are not thinking about the past and the future

3. Being without judgement means you are just observing like a spectator of your actions and the surroundings instead of assigning labels to them

One of the easiest ways to practice and visual mindfulness is to take a nature walk. As you are walking, you observe your steps and breath, while noticing the colors, textures, and smells of the plants. Your focus is completely on the present, and you are not worrying about the past or future. Also, you are not actively telling yourself “I love this plant” or “I hate this plant”; instead you are just observing without judgement.

You may ask yourself why practice then? There is a swath of research showing that in increases your mental health. It is also the best way to “live life in the moment” because you are truly experiencing the full depth of every moment!

Moreover, you can practice mindfulness with almost anything you are doing!

• Are you on your laptop? Then feel the sensation of each key and pay witness your feelings and thoughts

• Is someone talking to you? Then put away your device and actively listen to them

• Are you eating? Then fully feel the sensation as the food is in your mouth as you chew or swallow it

Mindfulness isn’t something that just spiritual practitioners do. It’s for everyone to do to live a more fulfilling and happy life. You just need to start small, maybe while eating breakfast, really feel the food instead of multitasking while eating. As your practice increases, you will become a better person and fully experience every moment!

In a nutshell, when we are uninterrupted in viewing similar content we like, we are more likely to continue the scroll and fall deeper into the rabbit hole. Plus with AI personalizing the experience, we are much more likely to fall in.

When I notice I’m falling into the rabbit hole, I often take a break from technology so I can recenter myself. Some ways you can do this are taking a walk outside or going to a local garden or park.

While this may be difficult in the moment, once you’ve built the habit, you’ll be much happier! Moreover, taking some time to enjoy nature (even urban nature!) has numerous benefits including self control, which is exactly what you need to stop the control.

When I take time to fully appreciate nature with all my senses, I feel immense gratitude and happiness from just being in the moment. As this happens, all that desire towards social media or other bad habits fades away.

So next time you notice yourself falling into the rabbit hole and hating yourself for it, just go outside, even for a moment!

• Why admonish web3 products like NFTs and the Metaverse while writing on a Web3 platform yourself?

• Why talk about getting away from tech while using tech?

• Why even talk about mindfulness to tech addicts?

• Why not write on another platform like medium?

I’m a developer familiar with AI and Web3 and yet I’m a mindfulness fanatic, which also seems like a contradiction. However, I see AI, Web3, and other technologies as a means to an end. For example, AI is already automating menial parts of our lives, leaving many of us to pursue more fulfilling activities and Web3 has the potential to connect us all.

I’m catering to a Web3 community because this is one of the communities very immersed in tech, and so much of Web3 is about hype and addiction - even though Web3 has potential for so much more.

So, I hope to bring you a sense of calm in this noisy world so you can pursue your own fulfillment and happiness. I believe people immersed in tech and degens are some of the people most likely to benefit from doing self-development and mindfulness.

As to why not write on a platform like medium, I believe in the vision of decentralization, so the essays I publish are free to view on any frontend while being immutable on the blockchain. This means I can put my true self into the Dharma essays, and they are freely available and easily accessible!

Meanwhile, I’m just an individual looking to find my path to fulfillment in this world of noise. In the upcoming essays, I’ll be looking at how science and religions explain how one can get happiness and fulfillment, going into detail about mindfulness practice. I’ve been practicing mindfulness for over a year now, and I sincerely believe that it’s for anyone and it’s the easiest way to find your calm in this noisy world.

While these essays might not be from an expert, I want to explain my truest thoughts and it is up to you to believe if what I said helps you. Moreover, I promise that I won’t be promotional because my only agenda in writing this is to spread the Dharma. Let’s learn and achieve happiness together!