attention

Francis Bacon warned that when we have no clear “prenotion or perception of what we are seeking, we seek and toil and wander aimlessly, as if in infinite space. Whereas, if we have a particular prenotion, infinity is at once interrupted.” When our attention narrows, we can move forward with purpose.

Looking at the work of psychologist Julian Rotter, we must ask, what is in our locus of control ? I.e. What can I directly act on right now? What is in our locus of influence . I.e. What can I not control, but can affect over time? What is in our locus of concern ? I.e. What are the things I deeply care about, but cannot meaningfully change? And... See more

Reed Hastings has famously stated that Netflix’s main competition isn’t other media or entertainment companies. It’s sleep .

What if we spent less time shouting into the void and being washed over with shouting in return-and more time talking in rooms to those for whom our words are intended? If we have only so much attention to give, and only so much time on this earth, we might want to think about reinfusing our attention and our communication with the intention that... See more

I have elsewhere called these artificial intelligence systems “ looms ,” and I think they are best understood as external attention systems —just as writing can be called an external memory system. Recommendation engines, predictive feeds, and language models perform the various functions of attention: filtering, noticing, selecting what matters... See more

Algorithmic media companies exploit the difference between our attentional instincts and aspirations. In so doing, they make it harder for us to become who we might wish to be.

But how do we achieve such a state? What does attention consist of? For Weil, paying attention required concentrating on an object (in this case, God) without distraction, without expecting anything from it, and without preparing to respond to or interact with it in any way. To pay attention, “our thought must be empty, waiting, not seeking... See more

“It is in the capacity to love, that is to see , that the liberation of the soul from fantasy consists. The freedom which is a proper human goal is the freedom from fantasy, that is the realism of compassion. What I have called fantasy, the proliferation of blinding self-centered aims and images, is itself a powerful system of energy, and most of... See more