Presence as Resistance
The Buddha taught that suffering (dukkha) arises from craving and aversion—the mind’s constant reaching toward what it wants and pushing away what it doesn’t.
Watch yourself scroll through your feed for five minutes.
Notice how the mind grasps. Each swipe is a micro-rejection: “Not this. Not this. Not this.” Each pause on content is micro-craving: “More of this. Give me more.” The pattern is the same one the Buddha identified 2,500 years ago… but now it’s been weaponized by algorithms optimized to exploit that very tendency.
The attention economy doesn’t just compete for your awareness—it cultivates craving. Each notification trains you to reach for your phone. Each infinite scroll trains you to seek satisfaction that never quite arrives. Each “like” trains you to crave validation from strangers.
This is dukkha at industrial scale.
But here’s what’s curious: The Buddhist response isn’t abstinence. It’s awareness.
Mindfulness (Pali: sati) doesn’t mean avoiding technology. It means noticing what’s happening while it’s happening. Observing the craving arise. Watching the aversion surface. Recognizing the pattern without being controlled by it.
When you pick up your phone mindlessly—notice that. Don’t judge it. Just see it clearly.
When you feel the pull to check one more thing—notice that. Observe the sensation of craving in your body.
When you’re with someone but mentally elsewhere—notice that. Feel the absence of presence.
The practice isn’t perfection. It’s noticing.
And noticing, it turns out, is profoundly subversive. The attention economy depends on unconscious reaction. Mindfulness interrupts that. Not through willpower… but through awareness.
Presence, then, becomes a form of resistance.
Not because you’ve escaped the system—but because you’ve learned to see it clearly. And in seeing clearly, you reclaim a degree of freedom.
The algorithm can’t exploit what you’re consciously aware of.
On applying this:
Start small. One mindful moment per day.
Before checking your phone in the morning, pause. Three conscious breaths. Notice the urge to check. Don’t suppress it—just see it.
Before responding to an email, pause. Notice what you’re feeling. Urgency? Defensiveness? The need to prove something?
During a conversation, notice when your mind wanders. Gently return. Again. And again.
This isn’t about achieving perfect presence. It’s about noticing absence… which is the first step toward reclaiming presence.
The Buddha’s teaching remains startlingly relevant: Craving causes suffering. Awareness interrupts craving. Freedom emerges through seeing clearly.