The Buddha is not talking about bare attention — just sitting there, passively watching things arise and pass away, as if you’re in a drugged state. Appropriate attention is when you start asking the right questions.

"[The Buddha] has an interesting analysis of attention. He’s not talking about bare attention — just sitting there, passively watching things arise and pass away, as if you’re in a drugged state. To pay attention to life means to ask questions. Appropriate attention is when you start asking the right questions. And this is a good one to begin with: “What, when I do it, will lead to my long-term welfare and happiness?” “Long-term” here is important. You want long-term rather than short-term happiness. That’s part of the wisdom. The other part is that happiness depends on your actions — what you do, what you say, what you think. From that principle, you can derive a lot of the Buddha’s teachings."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Living Honorably" (Meditations8)

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