In July 2017, I attended my second 10-day Vipassana retreat, high up in a Swiss mountain.

Surprise, the teacher who leads it is none other than… Yuval Noah Harari. From a slightly elevated podium, he guided us with insight and tenderness. This remains a special memory for me, especially because Yuval’s pedagogical qualities are out of the ordinary.

On the last day, at question time, I shyly approach and ask:  

– Sorry if my question is a little out of the scope of the course, but in your opinion, how can we make the internet a more respectful place for meditation values?

– I can’t answer that question here, this is not the place. What I can tell you, however, is that it is interesting to pay attention to what happens inside you when you are in contact with technology. Observe yourself and ask yourself what sensations you feel when you scroll. How is your breath? How is your heart? What images present themselves to your consciousness?

Even though I was a little disappointed not to have an answer to my grandiloquent question, I treasured his advice and since then, this conscious approach has never left me and has guided me in life.