Have you ever tried listening to music with the volume all the way down? You know the music is playing, but nothing comes through. That's exactly what happens when our attention is somewhere else.
When Mom or Dad is explaining something important, you're there in body, but your head is on the video game, on your friends, somewhere else. Listening without attention is volume at zero.
Jesus himself used to say: “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!” He wasn't talking about real ears, but about real attention. Paying attention is a gift you give to whoever is speaking, and a gift for yourself too.
Listening with attention is the doorway to everything you want to learn.