You know your idea is stupid when...

...somebody makes fun of your high-falutin' words on another blog. A blogger was complaining about how she keeps seeing "mindfulness" referred to all over the place and wondered why we don't want to use "pay attention" instead. (Sorry I can't remember which blog this came from.) The question is a good one and worth examining.

Wikipedia gives us a rundown on the term mindfulness. It has a direct connection to the art of acting in its initial definition.

"Mindfulness (Pali: Sati; Sanskrit:smṛti स्मृति ) is a technique in which a person becomes intentionally aware of their thoughts and actions in the present moment, non-judgmentally..."

Where it gets tricky is in the religious/spiritual connections, and interesting within the psychological realm. Yet, what I really want to look at is this (from the same entry):

"...mindfulness does not have to be constrained to a formal meditation session. Mindfulness is an activity that can be done at any time; it does not require sitting, or even focusing on the breath, but rather is done by bringing the mind to focus on what is happening in the present moment, while simply noticing the mind's usual "commentary".

The following is a possible description of what it is to act a role (in performance situations).:

"One can be mindful of the sensations in one's feet while walking, of the sound of the wind in the trees, or the feeling of soapy water while doing dishes."

The big difference is that the actor is being mindful of the sensations and thoughts of another character's mind. It is kind of a super-mindfulness or double mindfulness. Or perhaps it is more like those Russian dolls that nest one within the next. Within the actor, lives a character who also may be playing one or more roles within the circumstances of the performance.

Looking at a performance, we never want to see the actor acting. We want to believe that the character is alive before us, responding to the situation, the environment, and the other characters.

Here are some concrete examples of an actor not succeeding at mindfulness:

1. Breaking character by laughing or apologizing for a mistake.
2. Allowing habitual gestures to creep into a characterization.
3. Blocking another performer.
4. Dropping a prop or tripping over something on stage.
5. Eyes drifting in a direction that does not further the story or inner development.
6. Cutting off someone's line or not picking up cues quickly enough.