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Wise Ancestors, Good Ancestors: Why Mindfulness Matters in the Promotion of Planetary Health

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  • Alan C. Logan

    (Nova Institute for Health of People, Places and Planet, 1407 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    In Vivo Planetary Health Network, The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), Baltimore, MD 21231, USA)

  • Susan H. Berman

    (Nova Institute for Health of People, Places and Planet, 1407 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    In Vivo Planetary Health Network, The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), Baltimore, MD 21231, USA)

  • Richard B. Scott

    (Nova Institute for Health of People, Places and Planet, 1407 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    In Vivo Planetary Health Network, The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), Baltimore, MD 21231, USA)

  • Brian M. Berman

    (Nova Institute for Health of People, Places and Planet, 1407 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    In Vivo Planetary Health Network, The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    Center for Integrative Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA)

  • Susan L. Prescott

    (Nova Institute for Health of People, Places and Planet, 1407 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    In Vivo Planetary Health Network, The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
    Center for Integrative Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
    The ORIGINS Project, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia)

Abstract

The concept of planetary health blurs the artificial lines between health at scales of person, place, and planet. It emphasizes the interconnected grand challenges of our time, and underscores the need for integration of biological, psychological, social, and cultural aspects of health in the modern environment. Here, in our Viewpoint article, we revisit vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk’s contention that wisdom is central to the concept of planetary health. Our perspective is centered on the idea that practical wisdom is associated with decision-making that leads to flourishing—the vitality and fullest potential of individuals, communities, and life on the planet as a whole. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has illustrated the acute consequences of unwise and mindless leadership; yet, wisdom and mindfulness, or lack thereof, is no less consequential to grotesque biodiversity losses, climate change, environmental degradation, resource depletion, the global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), health inequalities, and social injustices. Since mindfulness is a teachable asset linked to both wisdom and flourishing, we argue that mindfulness deserves much greater attention in the context of planetary health.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan C. Logan & Susan H. Berman & Richard B. Scott & Brian M. Berman & Susan L. Prescott, 2021. "Wise Ancestors, Good Ancestors: Why Mindfulness Matters in the Promotion of Planetary Health," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jchals:v:12:y:2021:i:2:p:26-:d:652568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alan C. Logan & Susan H. Berman & Brian M. Berman & Susan L. Prescott, 2021. "Healing Anthropocene Syndrome: Planetary Health Requires Remediation of the Toxic Post-Truth Environment," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-25, January.
    2. Nguyen Phong Nguyen & Huiying Wu & Felicitas Evangelista & Thu Ngoc Quynh Nguyen, 2020. "The effects of organizational mindfulness on ethical behaviour and firm performance: empirical evidence from Vietnam," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 313-335, June.
    3. Keyes, C.L.M. & Simoes, E.J., 2012. "To flourish or not: Positive mental health and all-cause mortality," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(11), pages 2164-2172.
    4. Julia K Boehm & Ying Chen & David R Williams & Carol Ryff & Laura D Kubzansky, 2015. "Unequally Distributed Psychological Assets: Are There Social Disparities in Optimism, Life Satisfaction, and Positive Affect?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Nicole Ruedy & Maurice Schweitzer, 2010. "In the Moment: The Effect of Mindfulness on Ethical Decision Making," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(1), pages 73-87, September.
    6. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan & Glenn Albrecht & Dianne E. Campbell & Julian Crane & Ashlee Cunsolo & John W. Holloway & Anita L. Kozyrskyj & Christopher A. Lowry & John Penders & Nicole Redvers &, 2018. "The Canmore Declaration: Statement of Principles for Planetary Health," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-18, July.
    7. Alan C. Logan & Susan H. Berman & Richard B. Scott & Brian M. Berman & Susan L. Prescott, 2021. "Catalyst Twenty-Twenty: Post-Traumatic Growth at Scales of Person, Place and Planet," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, March.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Alan C. Logan & Christopher R. D’Adamo & Susan L. Prescott, 2023. "The Founder: Dispositional Greed, Showbiz, and the Commercial Determinants of Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-20, April.
    2. John Zelenski & Sara Warber & Jake M. Robinson & Alan C. Logan & Susan L. Prescott, 2023. "Nature Connection: Providing a Pathway from Personal to Planetary Health," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Susan L. Prescott, 2023. "Planetary Health Requires Tapestry Thinking—Overcoming Silo Mentality," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-6, February.
    4. Alan C. Logan & Brian M. Berman & Susan L. Prescott, 2023. "Vitality Revisited: The Evolving Concept of Flourishing and Its Relevance to Personal and Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Susan L. Prescott & Jeffrey M. Greeson & Mona S. El-Sherbini & The Planetary Health Community Convened by the Nova Institute for Health, 2022. "No Health without Mental Health: Taking Action to Heal a World in Distress—With People, Places, and Planet ‘in Mind’," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, August.
    6. Panditharathne Nishantha Kumara Wijesekara Panditharathne & Zhixia Chen, 2021. "An Integrative Review on the Research Progress of Mindfulness and Its Implications at the Workplace," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-27, December.
    7. Alan C. Logan & Brian M. Berman & Susan L. Prescott, 2021. "Earth Dreams: Reimagining ARPA for Health of People, Places and Planet," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-15, December.
    8. Jeff Levin, 2022. "Human Flourishing in the Era of COVID-19: How Spirituality and the Faith Sector Help and Hinder Our Collective Response," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, March.

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