Why go out for dinner when you could just cook for yourself?
Why pay for a therapist when you could just stop being depressed?
Why pay for a financial advisor when you could just do your taxes yourself?
If an app brings change into your life, via application of knowledge you do not yet possess, then it has value. Whether or not these specific apps meet that criteria is, however, a question worth asking.
The Mind Illuminated by John Yates is the one I see recommended the most, and it's helped me tremendously. It goes through ten stages, from novice to very advanced. I'm still close to the beginning, but the instructions in the first several chapters have helped me make far more progress than I ever had before.
The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young is also quite good, with more of an emphasis on insight rather than concentration meditation. There's also the classic Mindfulness in Plain English.
I do use one app. It lets me set a countdown timer, and plays a quiet gong when time is up. That's it.
Because they are paid to be uncompromising about your goals, so that when you’re weak they’re strong and push you to be better.
These apps too are meant to lure our lazy instant gratification craving part in exchange for money.
Of course, you can still be cynical about that and say it's a great way for them to keep you subscribed.
But for me, it's been a good introduction. I've been practicing regularly, I introduced a friend to it, and we have decided to sign up together for a retreat in the spring. So it's not necessarily just mind candy to pad out your credit card bill.
Why not just do pushups, walk the stairs or just go running, cook for yourself and your friends, know yourself instead of paying for therapy. Even doing taxes yourself isn't such a burden.
Glad you can just decide to do those things, do them and stick to doing them! Well done.
Because just doing pushups is not enough and even those can de done badly. Because cooking yourself is a completely different experience from going out to eat, part of the experience is precisely _not having to cook and clean_. Because some people can't help themselves and could end up in really bad places, because for some people spending time doing taxes could be very well used otherwise...
This is a book about why you do not really need all this stuff that commercial capitalism is trying to sell to you. It has inspired me years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander,_Count_of_Sch%C3%B6n...
https://www.rowohlt.de/fm/592/sample%20translationSchoenburg...
https://www.amazon.de/Die-Kunst-stilvollen-Verarmens-reich/d...
I got myself fit as I was able to plan for a healthier lifestyle and see it through. Not all folks can.
I wasn't able to get myself mentally healthy however, and without paying for mental health support I would never have had the mental stability to get myself physically healthy.
If you find life easy, good for you, but assuming everyone skips through life as easily as you is arrogant at best.
Headspace is great. Is it as good as heading to a monastery and studying for years? No.
Could you get the same experience without guidance? Sure, but most people haven't got the will power to stick to it. That's not a weakness. That's just human.