Ethics of Attention

Written on the 3rd of October, 2010

Treating every human being you meet as if they are the only one worthy of your focused & concentrated attention– is this the right way to treat others? If so or if not, why? Certainly it fits the prophetic model. Personally, I find it an unattainable goal and too impractical, but still a worthy ideal to keep in mind and aspire toward. When I do have the time for someone, it is my aim and hope to implement this belief to whatever realistic degree possible though my family/friends can rightfully attest to my ‘unsatisfactory’ grade in this respect. It is more often that I don’t have the right time for people to allow this type of quality treatment, and I would imagine is so for nearly everyone who lives in the real world; affected by annoyances, pains, hunger, weariness, and the long list of things that would go under ‘etc.’ I guess the point I’m trying to crystallize is the degree of attention found in a clinical relationship between clinician and clients in a therapeutic environment and whether that type of attention is possible to give to nearly everyone we meet outside of that environment, and on a consistent basis. If it is possible, I’d imagine it requiring an exorbitant amount of energy the likes of which even a solar-nuclear-powered person would have trouble dishing out. But I guess the point is that we should try our best whenever possible to be attentive to the utmost, with the person directly being engaged. The hurdles of self-doubt and other-doubt make this extremely difficult; when others will question your ‘ulterior motive’ and in turn make you question yourself. Of course treating people as a means instead of an end unto itself is unethical and doesn’t fit the conversation here, but the goal is to give people your time and resources without expecting a return, though the world will cast you otherwise. Only those who are fortunate can continue this. But who knows, maybe one day we will require that degree of attention from someone else, and they will more readily give it to us if we have been giving it to them all along. God help us!