Attention and awareness.

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duszek
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Attention and awareness.

Post by duszek »

When you pay attention you are tensed towards something.
You focus on something.

Is is a special case of being aware of this object of attention ?

Is awareness and paying attention to sth. the same state of alertness towards the environment ?
Skip
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by Skip »

There are different types and degrees of attention.

You may simply notice something because it stands out, attracts, startles or suggests a threat. This kind of attention is intense but fleeting: it shuts out everything else, until you have processed the information (Oh, it's a fire truck,) assessed its relevance to yourself (on the parallel street, so I don't need to yield) and decided how to respond ( I'll take an alternate route, in case of traffic snarl). Then you can return to normal scanning-mode, though probably not to daydreaming, because you have residual adrenaline in your bloodstream from that little jolt.

You may deliberately attend to something because it's rewarding in some way: a hockey game, a skilled dancer of the appropriate sex, a work of art in a gallery, heavy earth-moving equipment at work, etc. This kind of attention can be maintained for periods of an hour or more, but with frequent brief incursion from the environment (idiots cheering a goal for the wrong side; more comfortable adjustment of clothing; backache; hot dog vendor) which must be processed and filed before returning full attention to the chosen focus.

You may deliberately attend to something that is not chosen but has, or is supposed to have, deferred reward, such as studying for an exam or composing a fiscal-year-end report. This kind of attention, too, can be sustained for long periods, but entails a good deal more tension and requires a good deal more effort. In this case, it's much harder to dispose of routine environmental incursions efficiently; it's easier to be distracted by music playing three houses away, the need for caffeine, a too-hard chair edge, something tapping against the window, the urgent need to flush caffeine from system, that goddamn stereo three doors down, a crick in the neck, the need for more caffeine, an itchy scalp, why must he keep playing that stupid song i think i'll go over there andstranglethebastard)

Whereas just general awareness of the environment is more like stand-by-mode: you just take a scan of ambient sound and light and motion every second or two, ready to become alert at need, while most of your mind is free to contemplate some inner abstraction, like trisecting a triangle or disposing of a corpse.
duszek
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by duszek »

Thank you Skip.
Your classification makes sense to me.

Is it possible to watch Inspector Columbo on TV in a state of awareness or in a meditative way ?
It seems that watching TV in general is draining us of awareness.
That´s why we feel so weary after watching TV.
Skip
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by Skip »

Lieutenant Columbo. And I can watch him half asleep or while doing my exercises, because I've seen every episode at least twice - and they're fairly low-key to begin with. Monk requires more awareness, if only for the humour; I stay awake for Poirot because I'm waiting for a glimpse of a favourite Art Deco building or period convayence; Prime Suspect would keep anyone awake through adrenaline overdose.

I suppose it depends on what you're watching and how you feel about it.
Drives me nuts that Silent Witness is on a west coast station, so it starts at my midnight and I always miss the last ten minutes.
duszek
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by duszek »

But what happens if an event catches our attention ?
Especially if emotions are involved we leave the state of awareness and become captives of an event or the people putting the event on stage.

Magicians or action movie directors.

I wonder if it is possible to resist and to stay aware inspite of the drama trying to catch our attention. I wonder if it is desirable to try and if we gain some different kind of insight if we succeed.

It could be that a zen bouddhist or a yoga master watch Columbo and an action movie in a different way. And if so they may not be able to tell the plot afterwards.
Perhaps they watch an action movie like an impressionist painting.
They might comment about it saying something like: lots of bad karma, a sad waste of human resources, struggle for light in a sea of darness ...

P.S. In the German synchronized version Columbo is called Inspector.
Does the US army deal with crime in L.A. ?
Leutenant sounds like a grade in the military to me.
Skip
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by Skip »

duszek wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:05 am But what happens if an event catches our attention ?
Especially if emotions are involved we leave the state of awareness and become captives of an event or the people putting the event on stage.
In a real event, you have to pay full attention, in case of danger, opportunity or the need to make a quick decision. The closest staged thing to a rel event is participation in a sport or game, where you are fully involved, even though the stakes are artificial.
If they've done their job well enough, creators of entertainment can hold our attention almost as a real event does, because you are emotionally involved: you identify with a character. As a mere onlooker, with nothing at stake, your attention wanders.
This happens to me at the symphony: I hear the music all right, but it only engages one sense, so I look at the performers, at the audience, at the mouldings on the balcony, the acoustical buffers on the ceiling; I make plans for tomorrow, wonder what my friend is doing....
On the other hand, Cirque du Soleil engages all available senses and brain-cells.
I wonder if it is possible to resist and to stay aware inspite of the drama trying to catch our attention. I wonder if it is desirable to try and if we gain some different kind of insight if we succeed.
I think that's meditation. It's inner awareness at the expense of outer awareness. Why waste a good show? Meditate on Saturday evening, when there's nothing interesting on tv.
P.S. In the German synchronized version Columbo is called Inspector.
Does the US army deal with crime in L.A. ?
:lol: Not quite yet. But North American police forces did grow out of the militia, and are still organized on the military model. In the US, they have some military rank, but not all. In Canada, they're military at the lower ranks, but go from sergeant-major to Inspector and then Superintendent, just like in England. I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to make sense - just so they know their pay-grade.
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HexHammer
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by HexHammer »

duszek wrote: Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:07 am When you pay attention you are tensed towards something.
You focus on something.

Is is a special case of being aware of this object of attention ?

Is awareness and paying attention to sth. the same state of alertness towards the environment ?
Maybe you should read something about cognitive abilities and intelligences, instead of sitting here getting half baked answer from other completely clueless people.
duszek
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by duszek »

I agree, Skip.

Awareness happens when we are detached enough to see beyond the mere events.

Sometimes evil-doers try to grab our attention and to squeeze emotions out of us.
We could resist their attempts by reciting prayers or mantras helping to remain in a detached state, like for exemple: "I don´t know you and I am forgetting you because my karma does not need you."

Sounds trashy but if it works then it works.
Skip
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Re: Attention and awareness.

Post by Skip »

I suppose that's why people recite times tables or the alphabet in their heads when taking a lie detector test. Keeping your attention focused on something neutral, or divided between external and internal subjects, helps to keep the response level from spiking. It might help with hypnosis, too.
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