This was like holding a perfectly crafted set of Russian dolls, nested, each within the other, with the unmistakeable mark of mastery. To have all of this contained within your own palpable experience, and to see what this important principle looks like when consciously navigated in your own life, makes the entire teaching sing loud and clear. So well done.
Rick, thank you so much for the kind words. I was hoping you’d appreciate me weaving a little more of the personal into this one ◡̈ I really appreciated your help and thoughtful feedback along the way.
Attention as an act of creativity--I love this! And my attention in this moment? Filled with your wise, generous, gorgeous writing, which is exactly what I want to see and exactly the kind of observation I want to "create' my morning, my day!
Maribeth, it always means so much to me to see your name in these comments. Thank you for reading so faithfully and for all the ways you’ve encouraged my writing over time. Your support has meant more than I can easily put into words.
And I love the idea of these essays becoming a book someday. It would be such a fun and meaningful challenge to shape them into something that lives together in one place. Thank you, as always, for believing in my work.
I value the way your essays inform and therefore help to shape my awareness, each one a jewel that I return to more than once.
This one made me curious about the purpose of dreams. Could dreams be the opening of repositories of subconscious memories, thoughts, and intuitions and our brains' attempts to form a meaningful narrative from them?
Susanna, thank you so much for this generous comment. It really means a lot to me that the essays are something you return to.
And yes, I absolutely believe dreams function in just the way you describe—as openings into those deeper repositories of memory, intuition, and meaning that sit just below conscious awareness. When we take the time to pay attention, they often seem to carry their own kind of wisdom. I keep a dream journal very faithfully, and again and again I’ve been struck by how much insight emerges when you stay with them long enough.
I actually wrote an essay on this very subject (see below). It’s a long one (I was writing about a Dostoevsky novel, so that felt appropriate ◡̈) but you might enjoy it if you’re curious to explore the idea further.
The journeys you take us on are unique and fascinating, Rachel. It’s a wonderful adventure to see what you yourself focus on when you write. This is interesting food for thought. I may see a movie 3+ times and see something new each rime. This explains it. It also reinforces the need to see the positive. The possibilities. It’s an on-going choice, given that we’re picking and choosing from the bombardment.
Kathy, I love this perspective and I completely agree. I notice the same thing with books. Even a book that doesn’t resonate in one phase of life can hit really deeply years later, almost as if you’re reading a different story because you’re bringing a different self to it.
And yes, I love what you said about the agency we have in choosing what to notice among all the noise. That idea feels both humbling and hopeful to me at the same time. Thank you so much for reading and for such a thoughtful reflection. Your comments always add something meaningful to the conversation.
I love this topic so much. It’s fascinating how much control we have over our experience with even the tiniest shift in perspective. You captured it beautifully.
Thanks so much, Gil. I agree—it feels hopeful that we have so much agency over our own experience. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment!
Rachel, I love how you bookend this insightful essay with your own experience, how one morning brought forth one reaction, while essentially the same scenario brought forth one entirely different. Best-selling author and psychologist Wayne Dyer once said, "We are the sum total of the choices that we make in our lives.” Based on what I learned reading your work, apparently these choices – particularly between inward focus and outward attention – happen from moment to moment. Really fascinating stuff.
I love that connection between the sum of our choices and our attention. You're right, each moment is a micro-choice in where we direct our attention. Thank you for the thoughtful comment!
I‘ve read McGilchrist, I‘ve written about attention and resonance, I‘ve read Atonement, and yet I hadn’t seen how these could all be weaved together to illustrate how attention is a moral act. Plus you added personal experience as well. Bravo Rachel!!! 🔥
Brigitte, thank you so much. Coming from the most well-read person I know, that’s quite a compliment! I really appreciate it. And thank you, as always, for the help and encouragement along the way ◡̈
Another insightful read on a topic that's relevant to all of us humans I think... we tend to only "understand" another's behavior when we can somehow relate it back to events in our own lives where we may have used similar techniques. We then categorize these in our brain and draw on them as needed. This sounds like another interesting read Rachel, I will have to live another 66 years to read all these wonderful books!!! I sure do love you girl.
Mom, thank you! I love the way you put that. I think you’re exactly right that we so often understand others by relating their experiences back to our own, and it’s amazing how our minds build those patterns and draw on them later.
And honestly, I would never get through nearly as many books if I didn’t rely so much on audiobooks. I love you too, and it means so much to me that you read these and share your thoughts ◡̈
Hi Rachel Enjoyed your essay. Trial lawyers have long recognized how often eyewitness testimony has proved mistaken, or just plain wrong. According to this National Academy of Science study, for the Innocence Project, eyewitness misidentifications contributed to 72% (229) of the 318 wrongful convictions that were later overturned by DNA evidence.
Ed, it is so fascinating, and also sometimes sad, just how subjective our experience of reality can be. The example of eyewitness testimony really brings that home in such a powerful way, similar to Briony's story. It’s striking to realize how easily sincere certainty can part ways with what actually happened.
Thank you so much for reading and for sharing this.
This was like holding a perfectly crafted set of Russian dolls, nested, each within the other, with the unmistakeable mark of mastery. To have all of this contained within your own palpable experience, and to see what this important principle looks like when consciously navigated in your own life, makes the entire teaching sing loud and clear. So well done.
Rick, thank you so much for the kind words. I was hoping you’d appreciate me weaving a little more of the personal into this one ◡̈ I really appreciated your help and thoughtful feedback along the way.
Rachel,
Attention as an act of creativity--I love this! And my attention in this moment? Filled with your wise, generous, gorgeous writing, which is exactly what I want to see and exactly the kind of observation I want to "create' my morning, my day!
I can't wait till you put these all in a book!
Maribeth, it always means so much to me to see your name in these comments. Thank you for reading so faithfully and for all the ways you’ve encouraged my writing over time. Your support has meant more than I can easily put into words.
And I love the idea of these essays becoming a book someday. It would be such a fun and meaningful challenge to shape them into something that lives together in one place. Thank you, as always, for believing in my work.
I value the way your essays inform and therefore help to shape my awareness, each one a jewel that I return to more than once.
This one made me curious about the purpose of dreams. Could dreams be the opening of repositories of subconscious memories, thoughts, and intuitions and our brains' attempts to form a meaningful narrative from them?
Susanna, thank you so much for this generous comment. It really means a lot to me that the essays are something you return to.
And yes, I absolutely believe dreams function in just the way you describe—as openings into those deeper repositories of memory, intuition, and meaning that sit just below conscious awareness. When we take the time to pay attention, they often seem to carry their own kind of wisdom. I keep a dream journal very faithfully, and again and again I’ve been struck by how much insight emerges when you stay with them long enough.
I actually wrote an essay on this very subject (see below). It’s a long one (I was writing about a Dostoevsky novel, so that felt appropriate ◡̈) but you might enjoy it if you’re curious to explore the idea further.
Thank you again for such a thoughtful reflection.
I would very much like to read your essay on dreams, Rachel; thank you for offering!
The journeys you take us on are unique and fascinating, Rachel. It’s a wonderful adventure to see what you yourself focus on when you write. This is interesting food for thought. I may see a movie 3+ times and see something new each rime. This explains it. It also reinforces the need to see the positive. The possibilities. It’s an on-going choice, given that we’re picking and choosing from the bombardment.
Your writing is a fascinating gift to readers.
Kathy, I love this perspective and I completely agree. I notice the same thing with books. Even a book that doesn’t resonate in one phase of life can hit really deeply years later, almost as if you’re reading a different story because you’re bringing a different self to it.
And yes, I love what you said about the agency we have in choosing what to notice among all the noise. That idea feels both humbling and hopeful to me at the same time. Thank you so much for reading and for such a thoughtful reflection. Your comments always add something meaningful to the conversation.
attention is creative. attention is moral. So, so good!!
Thanks so much!
I love this topic so much. It’s fascinating how much control we have over our experience with even the tiniest shift in perspective. You captured it beautifully.
Thanks so much, Gil. I agree—it feels hopeful that we have so much agency over our own experience. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment!
Rachel, I love how you bookend this insightful essay with your own experience, how one morning brought forth one reaction, while essentially the same scenario brought forth one entirely different. Best-selling author and psychologist Wayne Dyer once said, "We are the sum total of the choices that we make in our lives.” Based on what I learned reading your work, apparently these choices – particularly between inward focus and outward attention – happen from moment to moment. Really fascinating stuff.
I love that connection between the sum of our choices and our attention. You're right, each moment is a micro-choice in where we direct our attention. Thank you for the thoughtful comment!
I‘ve read McGilchrist, I‘ve written about attention and resonance, I‘ve read Atonement, and yet I hadn’t seen how these could all be weaved together to illustrate how attention is a moral act. Plus you added personal experience as well. Bravo Rachel!!! 🔥
Brigitte, thank you so much. Coming from the most well-read person I know, that’s quite a compliment! I really appreciate it. And thank you, as always, for the help and encouragement along the way ◡̈
Another insightful read on a topic that's relevant to all of us humans I think... we tend to only "understand" another's behavior when we can somehow relate it back to events in our own lives where we may have used similar techniques. We then categorize these in our brain and draw on them as needed. This sounds like another interesting read Rachel, I will have to live another 66 years to read all these wonderful books!!! I sure do love you girl.
Mom, thank you! I love the way you put that. I think you’re exactly right that we so often understand others by relating their experiences back to our own, and it’s amazing how our minds build those patterns and draw on them later.
And honestly, I would never get through nearly as many books if I didn’t rely so much on audiobooks. I love you too, and it means so much to me that you read these and share your thoughts ◡̈
Hi Rachel Enjoyed your essay. Trial lawyers have long recognized how often eyewitness testimony has proved mistaken, or just plain wrong. According to this National Academy of Science study, for the Innocence Project, eyewitness misidentifications contributed to 72% (229) of the 318 wrongful convictions that were later overturned by DNA evidence.
https://innocenceproject.org/news/national-academy-of-sciences-issues-landmark-report-on-memory-and-eyewitness-identification/
Ed, it is so fascinating, and also sometimes sad, just how subjective our experience of reality can be. The example of eyewitness testimony really brings that home in such a powerful way, similar to Briony's story. It’s striking to realize how easily sincere certainty can part ways with what actually happened.
Thank you so much for reading and for sharing this.
Yes, we see what we want to see, don't we? Combine that notion with denial, and it explains a ton of what we're seeing in America today, doesn't it?
For sure!
This was beautiful Rachel. And loved the brain stuff, our brains are fascinating.
Thank you so much Henny! Yes, humans and our brains are endlessly fascinating ◡̈