Philosophy as an extension of mindfulness

Recently I read a very interesting mini-tutorial on Marcuse and his book One-Dimensional Man, an apparently brilliant merge of both Freud and Marx. I'd suggest reading the link and forming you're own opinions on him. I myself found the tutorial brought on convincing points, but more than that I found myself falling back a re-ignition of my own rambling interest in philosophy.

Having been away from it for quite some time, it was nice to put another filter onto reality, to take a political or socio-economic theory, sit it behind my eyes and consider the world around me. If it's worth reading I almost always gain new insights and it helps to formalise my viewpoints and more importantly take action. I'm well aware I'm not nearly smart enough to contribute to such a debate but I can make significant personal decisions with a renewed clarity. Mindfulness is a wonderful thing, but I'm beginning to realise more and more there's an extension to this. Not as a directly similar practice but a value in deeper understanding.

Much like the mind-body awareness a daily meditation practice brings, we are also within structures, processes and systems that demand our awareness and not simply passive acceptance at face value. Do this and we risk getting swept up into the norms and that's an easy way to get manipulated without even realising it. Confused? Check out the link and you'll understand.