Attention is an energy the spirit directs into the world. Physically it manifests as extension in the spine: the lower spine extending into the tail as the upper spine extends up and out into the senses, into perception. The spine effectively stretches out and away from its centre. Now the self, or the ego, is a tension that gathers into the centre of the spine, and works against the attention, the spirit. Selfishness is inattentiveness to the world around you – a refusal to listen to anything but the self and its allies.