Human beings are fascinating creatures. We have high functioning brains, fairly decent senses, and the ability to empathize... And yet our most glorious feature seems to be the fact that we can ignore things.
Consciously or unconsciously we ignore not just most, but I'd say 85-90% of our lives. No one pays attention to the details if breathing in and out, or the texture and placement of every article of clothing, or even all the sights and sounds of the world around us, let alone all the concepts and constructs around us.
Now this isnt a bad thing. I don't think we could get anything done if we had to pay attention to everything. I try to picture living aware of everything we sense... its what I imagine hard drugs are like. We'd be sitting starring into space, unable to put two words together. Brain overloaded, no processing power to even think "wow this is a lot".
Unfortunately, it's not all good. This power to ignore means we often can create internal narratives that outweigh the real world in our brain as the truth. That sort of thinking leads to abuse, racism, classism, stalkers, etc.
As with everything else, it's important to use what tools you have for good, and carefully shun overuse to avoid the negative side.
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