Attention

Recently, I'm lying on my cot, listening to NPR and the story of the girls in Glocouster, Massachusets comes on the radio. This news has been airing like crazy all day. The news is crazy! High school girls, making a pact to get pregnant.

I haven't a clue what their story is, and will try not to make any further judgement on it. But all of us, I am sure, keep wondering what was going on in their heads. The news story on NPR mentions that none of the girls involved in the pact come from a family where they get much attention, where they have few restrictions. They made this pact in order to, in a sense, start their own family, on their own terms and their own plan. They will raise the children together.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Emma (I hope if her mother ever came across this, that it would not be taken wrong) while fishing off the dock at Miners' Lake in Ely, MN. She's a beautiful little girl full of curiousity, asking tons of questions and with the potential for a bright future. And she cracked me up. But also made me very sad at the same time. I don't know what life is like for her, but one thing was obvious: she craved attention. Many, many times I heard the question asked "Mommy, can I fish next to that man?" Why? Because I'd taken the opportunity to answer her questions while I landed my first rainbow trout ever caught, to allow her to look at the fish, touch the fish, and then ask questions. "What is this?" as she pointed towards a fin. "And this?" while pointing towards the dorsal fin. Later, questions arose about why the water made ripples, which led to tossing MANY stones into the lake. It was fun.

Attention is something we need. We do not live in this world alone. The animals around us provide examples of few, if any species that live in exclusive isolation. Social interaction is craved, and peer influence directs us with what we do in our life. More attention needs to be paid to the topic of attention. More of our time needs to be spent in our interactions with our fellow human beings, instead of wasting our time chasing after money.