The malls were filled with people seeking gifts for their loved ones．Some of the malls remained open around the clock，partly to satisfy our needs to buy gifts．

Behind the materialistic aspect of shopping for gifts lies the idea of caring，being attentive to the desires of special people in our lives．However，to use a well-worn play on words：it is our presence，not our presents，that truly counts．Many of us，unfortunately，can be so inattentive，even in the presence of our loved ones，that we might as well not be there at all．

Attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other．Companies around the globe spend billions every year on advertising to catch our attention for just a short moment at a time．Whole industries-media，entertainment，education-rely on the precious gift of our attention for their continued existence．A baby lacking attention for a long time is likely to be psychologically unhealthy．

In earlier times，both diet and attention could be left unregulated （没人管的） without major cause for concern．There were natural checks and balances：limited availability of food meant few got fat，for example．Similarly，in bygone times we might have spent a few hours communicating with the village storyteller； today，watching an entire TV series，while speaking to nobody，is common．In traditional societies，with smaller population，everyone would get a fair deal of attention．On many issues we might go to see Grandma or Grandpa； now we have Google and Wikipedia．

"She just wants attention．"people tend to think little of those doing things simply for attention．But the truth is that human beings need attention，and giving attention to each other is，to a large extent，what human civilization is based upon．This perhaps explains the runaway success of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook．While we use such sites for"micro Hogging"，"idea voicing"and"status updates"-the reality is that we are oft