When we make mistakes, most of the time it’s not because we’re operating blindly.

I rarely make mistakes when I’m sleeping (save for the time I dozed off on the subway and woke up at Coney Island).

No, it’s not because our eyes are closed.

Rather, our eyes are open but focused elsewhere. We’re watching what’s in front of us but we should be paying attention to what’s beside us. Or the other way around. Or our head is down in the details when it should be looking at the big picture. Or the other way around.

The problem isn’t that we’re people who don’t pay attention. The problem is that at times, we’re just paying attention to the wrong things.