Not only do men who live in democratic societies devote themselves with difficulty to meditation, but also they naturally have little regard for it. The democratic social state and democratic institutions lead most men to act constantly; now, the habits of mind that are appropriate to action are not always appropriate to thought. The man who acts is often reduced to being content with approximation, because he would never reach the end of his plan if he wanted to perfect each detail. He must rely constantly on ideas that he has not had the leisure to study in depth, for he is helped much more by the expediency of the idea that he is using than by its rigorous correctness; and everything considered, there is less risk for him in making use of a few false principles, than in taking up his time establishing the truth of all his principles. The world is not controlled by long, learned proofs. The rapid view of a particular fact, the daily study of the changing passions of the crowd, the chance of the moment and the skill to grab hold of it, decide all matters there.
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville is spot on in his assessment of Americans being people of action. It reminded me of a theory I had heard once about Americans being naturally prone to “ADHD”. I found a N.Y. Times article that details the theory and is quite interesting. Essentially due to the mentality required of the early pioneers to America (restless, and open to the idea of completely changing their lives forever, truly borderline crazy) and their ancestors who expanded westward, inherently Americans have ADHD in their DNA. Furthermore, this ADHD complex in American society played a major role in the development of our country and society. Would this not also account for our disdain of meditation, and natural tendency to action that de Tocqueville describes above? Personally I believe ADD or ADHD in the general public is over diagnosed. I think it could be that rather than a disorder, the restlessness of Americans is merely a common personality trait. Considering the rampant trade of learning disability medication among both students who are prescribed the drugs and students who purchase from their friends with prescriptions, something about the drugs clearly helps aid with studying and passing exams. However, if this “ADHD trait” has shaped the course of our country, would it really be wise to stifle the energy that has defined Americans for centuries? I think not. Though certainly opening ourselves up to contemplative thought and practices such as meditation should be encouraged, energy and restless must be released not bottled in order to thrive.
N.Y. Times article by Edward Hallowell, “Are Americans more Prone to ADHD?”
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/10/12/are-americans-more-prone-to-adhd/adhd-is-in-the-american-dna