Escape From Mass-Media

If you have seen or read The Secret or understand the Law of Attraction, then you already know the basic principle: what you pay attention to matters.

Even if you don’t believe in a spiritual power behind your attention, it is a powerful tool at your command.

Attention bankruptcy

By paying attention to something, you are giving your energy to it. Just as sitting upright in a desk chair burns a few calories at a time, you are spending your physical and emotional energy with whatever you choose to watch, read, listen to or care about.

You know the feeling: stress drains you of minor amounts of energy for every moment you give to it.

Some things we choose to give our attention to: if you are chatting with a friend about her new boyfriend, you are listening to her words and watching her body language. You would be leaning toward her, and raising your eyebrows and smiling a bit while you nod in encouragement to reflect her joy back to her. You might be waiting for her to take a breath so you can say something about the spinach between her teeth.

The benefit of this kind of attention is that it is an equal exchange. Your friend will return this attention to you while you are telling her about your new boss.

Some things we choose to worry about: when you’re watching a troubling news segment on television it’s likely your eyebrows are knitted together, you’ve tensed your abdomen or jaw. You may even have to call someone to discuss this latest development. You might lay awake in bed that night thinking about this problem, giving it your sleep and even your weariness the following day.

The truth of the matter is that the government has levied a tax on your mind. Every time you turn your tired thoughts to the news about what our government has or has not done, will or will not do, does or does not stand for – you are giving it your energy. Do you really want to “pay” energy to the War in Iraq? Do you really want to “pay” for the 2008 Election?

Those distant people or events may not “receive” your energy and attention payments, but you certainly expend them. Why do you think the phrase is “pay attention”?

The good news is that you don’t have to pay this tax. The IRS will never audit you. They get their energy paychecks whether you participate in the system or not. You can choose to save your attentive energy for something more worthy: children playing, a sunset, your favorite song, a good book.