Boyd wraps up by talking about the White House correspondents’ dinner. Referencing Jesus Rodriguez’s article about the “D.C. stare”, Boyd talks about how people passively listen at these events.Their heads are constantly on the swivel looking for someone with more connections, which creates meaningless conversations all night long.

The “D.C. stare” is not restricted by geography and is all around us. We owe it to the people around us to be wholly present and create genuine connections and impact in people’s lives. The busy world can stop us from noticing the things around us and we owe it to ourselves to be more intentional about being present.

Big celebrations are meaningless if we rely on shallow connections and power grabs. Making a difference starts with being fully present and seeing people deeply.