Who Are You Paying Attention To?

Yesterday, like so many people in our country, I gathered with friends to watch the Super Bowl. This year my favorite team was playing so I was interested in more than just the commercials. I watched the pre-game hoopla and was struck by the sheer abundance of sponsored segments and product placement entertainment. Then, at over 3 million dollars for 30 seconds of airtime, we were glued to the television to watch the commercials. After two beers it dawned on me that I wouldn't be able to find time to run to the bathroom. I wanted to pay attention to it all.

It is really mind-boggling just how many resources go into capturing our attention. The spectacle of the Super Bowl is simply an overblown example of what most of us see every day.

Then today, while doing some work, I was thinking about the way we are all trying to get people to pay attention to us. I'm not suggesting that we are all narcissistic and self absorbed. I'm just aware that we all have this need to know that someone is paying attention to us. It lets us know that we are not alone. It comforts us to know that if something happens to us, someone else will notice. 

But what happens when we are spending our time and energy getting noticed and not paying attention to someone else? Or what happens when we pay attention only to things on TV instead of the people around us?  

Perhaps one of the most important things we can do is pay attention to those people around us. It is time consuming, energy intensive and almost completely opposite of what our culture teaches us to do. Instead of demanding that they compete for our attention like advertisers on the Super Bowl, if we freely give them the one thing they crave more than any other, they will be free to give their attention to others.

Imagine a world people are given more attention than a corn chip ad even if they are not as clever or entertaining. I can only think it would be a better place.