Presence (2) – ElPropósito2 min de lectura

The difference between being there and truly being there

Presence is one of the most valuable assets in our lives, and one of the least measured. In everyday practice, though, it’s under constant threat from a quiet intruder: technology. Phones, notifications and screens keep us "connected" to everything and everyone except the person sitting across from us. That’s why it’s worth digging into how we get real presence back, the kind that shows in the quality of the attention we give.

We’re surrounded by devices that promise to bring us together and, ironically, push us apart. The phone in your hand, the endless notifications, the screens fighting for your attention. Little by little we lose the ability to be fully present with the people right in front of us. It’s a quiet loss, and a deep one.

There’s a reason we have two ears and one mouth. The ratio says it all: listen twice as much as you talk. Yet in most conversations today, one of the two people is only half there. We look at the other person while our mind is already somewhere else. We answer too fast, interrupt, or just wait for our turn to talk. Real presence means quieting your mind and truly opening your senses.

When someone is present, you can feel it physically. They don’t need to say much. A steady gaze, an attentive silence, the way their whole body turns toward you is enough. In that moment you don’t feel alone, even if few words are spoken. You feel someone is with you. And that genuine companionship is one of the rarest gifts we can give these days.

A lack of presence wears away our most important relationships. Getting it back takes discipline and love at the same time. Putting the phone away before you sit down to eat. Looking people in the eye. Listening to understand, with no rush to reply. Asking questions out of real curiosity. Staying quiet when silence is called for. These are simple, almost old-fashioned gestures, and they bring depth and warmth back into life.

In the end, presence means being fully where you are, especially with the people who matter most. That’s the most honest form of respect and affection we can offer.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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