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How is it that we seek to be Given respect when we have to Pay attention?
Respect and Attention are deeply desired by all of us on a very basic level.
The ideas of giving and paying are not as well understood as they could be.
When we were in school as children, we were all asked to pay attention to
the teacher. Did we ever question how we were to pay that attention?
As we grew older we acquired a desire to be respected, and we expected
respect to be given to us from everyone we met. Did we ever once know
exactly why we expected that respect to just be given to us?
As adults, we've experienced a wide variety of examples that provide us
clues as to how this misunderstanding of simple basic concepts can effect
our perception and our acceptance of personal responsibility. We have all
chosen to adopt a standard based solely on our ability to grasp giving and
paying in its most basic sense.
We seek to be given to us what we feel we are due, based on whatever
quality we decide that other people acknowledge, whether they can see it
or not. We seek to have it just given to us as if it has no cost.
Now paying attention is not viewed as respect, we can pay attention to
someone or something that we regard as completely stupid. And we can
choose to do it time after time and call it completely acceptable. But
never consider it as having any value that we can actually see or use.
We can pay attention to people and things that we do not even like.
And never consider it as having cost us anything. But later realize
that we have paid a hefty price for allowing our attention to be fixed
on something that has indeed harmed us greatly.
How is it that we seek to be Given respect when we have to Pay attention?
Tweak this idea a little and see how your perception changes. You'll
see right away that you have already made some basic standards that
cause you to respond differently to these basic concepts.
Seek to Pay respect to a stranger, for no reason at all. Discover
what you get from doing that. Then try paying respect to a close
family member, see how that works for you. Then pay respect to
that person in your life that you love so dearly.
Give your attention away, yes, just give it away. Notice everything
and every body. Make a conscious effort to connect deeply and
intentionally with every single thing and person that you come into
contact with. That challenge is more like a slap in your face.
But sometimes we need to slapped in our face in order to wake
up from a deep and long sleep.
Our practice of paying attention to what we have chosen to pay
attention to, has led us to an alienation of all other things and
people. Our world is not that little click that we have chosen
to make it. And what we are paying to have it, is a priceless
treasure that can't be replaced.
How is it that we seek to be Given respect when we have to Pay attention?
Give attention, all the time to everyone and everything.
Pay respect, to everyone you meet, from the moment you wake up to
the moment you close your eyes to sleep.
Our world revolves around give and take; we have much more when
we give, and we get much more when we pay.
