Before the words convey their specific meaning, the medium of the book tells us several things. Firstly, life is complex, and if you want to understand it, you have to set aside a fair bit of time to think deeply about it. You need to slow down. Secondly, there is a value in leaving behind your other concerns and narrowing down your attention to on

The suspension of our thought, Weil declares, leaves us “detached, empty, and ready to be penetrated by the object.”17 To attend means not to seek, but to wait; not to concentrate, but instead to dilate our minds.