What role does meditation and mindfulness play in today's world?

In May 2014, the Mindfulness All Party Parliamentary Group (MAPPG) was established to develop policy recommendations for government based on mindfulness research.  The Mindful Nation UK Report was produced in October 2015, with a plan to introduce mindfulness practice to the following areas; healthcare, education, the workplace, and the criminal justice system.  

'Mindfulness has a role to play in tackling our mental health crisis in which roughly one in three families include someone who is mentally ill. Up to 10% of the UK adult population will experience symptoms of depression in any given week.'  Mindful Nation UK Report 2015 (MAPPG)

The universities of Exeter, Oxford, Bangor and London (in the UK) and Massachusetts Medical School and Harvard (in the US) have each set up specific departments that research the benefits of mindfulness and meditation on an ongoing basis.  Massachusetts Medical School was the first to open in 1979.

Scientific research has shown time and again that meditation and mindfulness can help relieve stress, anxiety, depression and pain.  There is currently a growing a​wareness of the benefits of regular meditation and mindfulness practice - and also a growing need for it.​