"...actual looking was a skill and a conscious decision that people rarely practiced; there was 'a lot to see' only if you were willing and able to see it*"* p. 101
Summary
Chapter 4: Exercises in Attention
Questions
Walter Kaufman notes that in the original German, Martin Buber uses the verb "to body" to indicate when something has shifted from an I/It relationship to an I/Thou relationship p.105. It is a realization that a person/thing/experience, etc. defies any single label or unidirectional relationship we might apply to it. Have you ever experienced something "body" across from you and shift in the way Buber describes?
In discussing Nudget (p. 114-p. 120) O'Dell reveals that her conception of attention is predicated on rigorous self-control. Recent research shows, however, that self-discipline may actually be a myth and that the most successful self-discipline is often a product of design (or wealth). Is practicing attention still important if self-discipline is a myth? How does this complicate 1.) O'Dell's argument and 2.) what lessons we learn from the book?
Research a bioregion that you are a part of or have been a part of. Does it shift your understanding of how you experienced a place? Are these shared natural experiences strong enough to unite a community?
How might you use this chapter to teach someone how to do nothing?