The Attention Economy

You pay attention and receive an experience

  In the field of business there is hope. A new sector of our economy is emerging. It is called the attention economy. With our robust communication systems we have grown connected to each other, and to the vast amount of information we have collected over the ages. We are free to pick which of this we pay attention to. Once data is "mined" and worked into information it can be sold. But  no one can maintain a monopoly on information. Information will be free. It dissipates following God's will; the second law of thermodynamics. So now we have a situation (in this brief age of abundance) where there is a  vast amount of information available but a limited supply of attention. Businesses are essentially competing for our  attention.  Webster defines attention as “the giving of one’s mind to something". Giving your mind to something  is no small thing. Attached to your mind is your spirit and your resources. When we concentrate on something, social capital is endowed upon it. This makes your attention precious. It is better than money. What you pay attention to is yours to decide. What do you get for paying attention? You receive an experience. The value and worth of the experience is measured in potential for your growth. A rich experience is called a flow experience. This is what to look for:

  In The Flow Experience there is;

           a clear goal,

           concentration on the task at hand, worries and concerns are suspended,

           immediate feedback, you know instantly how well you are doing,

          a sense of growth and of being part of some greater thing,

           a feeling that time seems to pass faster, 

           expansion of self through the experience.

The flow experience is great, but lets turn the reality knob up to 11.  The greatest experience of all is called The Glory of God. It is all the things that flow is but adds powerful beauty, magnificence, and ecstasy. Glory is a rush. The spiritual becomes real. Glory happens when you turn your full attention (as in Love) to God, and turn the power up to PASSION!

The highest quality of attention is love.  Love is expressed when you give your full attention, your time, and your focus to someone or something. Here is the fundamental connection between science spirituality and the meaning of life;   Love is a mode of understanding. It is uniting. It is spiritual.  To know something is to love it and to love something is to know it. With this truth we can make way for our salvation. 

Communication and Understanding

The Information Economy