What makes Weil's observation cut so deep is that she's naming something we rarely admit: that our scattered, distracted modern life has made genuine attention a scarce commodity, more valuable than money or time. Most people think generosity means giving things, but Weil reminds us that a person who sits with your troubles without checking their phone—who listens as though your words matter—has given you something irreplaceable. When someone truly attends to you, they're saying your existence deserves their most finite resource. A parent who puts away their device to hear their child's rambling story about school isn't just being nice; they're practicing an almost sacred form of love.