Our attention is a gift.
Our attention is a gift that we give freely to the things
that make us happy, the things that make us feel something: sometimes our
friends, sometimes our family, sometimes our relationships, sometimes our jobs,
usually our pastimes, varied as they are. Sometimes it is a gift that we give
without thinking, usually to the internet. Or dogs. Sometimes it is a gift that
we give begrudgingly, usually to a lecture. Or a sermon. Sometimes it is a gift
that is given conditionally. Actually, I think that often, it is a gift that is
given conditionally.
Because we are finite. We are so small and we live such
brief lives. We know this, somewhere in our cores, and so we give the gift of
our attention when we have a chance of getting something back. We make our attention
transactional. I gave you my attention so now you need to give me something.
Give me happiness. Give me validation. Entertain me. Stay with me. Praise me.
Love me. Keep me. See me. See me. See me. See me because I saw you.
I think transactional attention is dangerous. I know why we
do it, why I do it, but knowing why doesn’t make it any safer. Transactional
attention, giving our attention to what can give us attention back, means that
we will not willingly give our attention to what most needs our attention. We
will not give our attention to the things that make us uncomfortable, or hurt
us, or require something precious from us with no hope of repayment. We will
not give our attention to the things that need us, especially if those things
need us to change. Somewhere along the way, our attention became commodified.
Our attention became money. And money cares only for money.
Friends, loves, let’s be different.
Let’s give our attention away.
Let’s give our attention away and let’s be generous with it.
Let’s lavish it on those who need it. Let’s search those
people out. Let’s renew it over and over and over again so that when a
hurricane hits (and another and another) or an earthquake strikes or a famine
devastates or outbreak threatens or a gunman murders, we will be there with our
attention and our compassion and all the aid that we can give. We are so
limited, but we still have so much to give.
And I know it’s difficult. I know that our stores of charity
and kindness have been depleted because the energy that we would use to renew
those stores is going to just simply keeping our heads above the water of the
confusion and disorganization and dysfunction of American society and politics,
the realm of those who are supposed to be our public servants, but we can not
let this steal our hope. I know that getting out of bed in the morning carrying
the weight of all the tragedy that we should not have to bear is a mighty
struggle in and of itself. We were not meant to live like this. It is hard.
But I also know that we must. We are called to. Whatever we
need to do, whatever steps we need to take to renew ourselves so that we can
pour out our attention on others, we need to do this. I understand that our
attention will not suture a gunshot wound or feed a starving child or rebuilt
the power grid in Puerto Rico, but our attention will reach those who can do
those things, or at least those who can provide the money required for those
things to happen. I think that we need to lavish our attention because I do
actually believe that people really are good at heart and that if we just pay
attention, if we just see, we will be compelled to act out of love for our
neighbor and we have so many neighbors.
Your attention is a gift.
Give it.
No comments:
Post a Comment