Is that a phrase that you recall from when you were a child? And was it true? Were you not paying attention to whoever or whatever was happening? Do others still accuse you of not paying attention? The question that immediately pops to mind is – how would someone else know you weren’t paying attention? Obviously, if they asked you a question based on what they just said and you couldn’t respond, this would be a definite give-away. But what non-verbal cues are you giving that says you aren’t attentive?
Fortunately (?) by now I have developed some ‘obvious’ cues indicating that I am totally immersed by whatever the other person is doing or saying. Yet… there are multiple instances when my mind is so far removed that, if asked, I could never totally bluff it. I suspect the point is – why? Why do we not pay attention? Is this a failing on our part or is it a function of who is speaking or what they are saying/doing? The issue of relevance is a factor. There are times, right or wrong, when we don’t value what’s being said so we zone off.
Let me reverse roles a moment and ask you how you feel when you know the other person(s) aren’t paying attention to what you are saying/doing? I would suspect that irritation would definitely be in the mix of your emotions. Do you ever ask the other person(s) to pay attention, though you may not use those precise words. It IS frustrating to be on the recipient end of lack of attention. But, do you ever look to the cause of this dilemma? If you consider when and why you don’t pay attention perhaps you’ll get clues as to why others may not be paying attention to you.
While no one expects that everyone will hang on their every word, there are moments when we feel that what we are about to say is critically important. If true, then it is our responsibility to make that very clear prior to saying/doing (fill in the blank). Let’s face it – we live in a noisy world and we sometimes don’t consider what we say before we say it. That’s a given for everyone. Perhaps if we spoke less fluff this wouldn’t be the case but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Personally I try and avoid those mindless conversations and engage in those that really are interesting. More important, I try and not begin chit chatty ones. Scripture tells us that we will be held accountable for every idle word we say (Matthew 12:36) and then Jesus goes on to say, “For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” (v.37) This puts an entirely different context to what we say. And this will affect our listeners.
