OH! Background exists because you choose to ignore it. Otherwise, it’s foreground.
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Sometimes. But I mean that “intent” is often the subject of gossip or court cases. — oh and con artists. “I didn’t mean to – I had good intentions, really”
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But I see what you mean. Salience is tricky. Why are some things in the foreground and others pushed back in our attention?
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It’s what I’ve been working on for 7 years and 3 weeks on and off.
I have trouble with separating background and foreground – ADHD or maybe generalized anxiety disorder – probably — so either everything is a threat or nothing is a threat. It takes conscious effort to prioritize. It’s part of why I hyperfocus. Domain switching is tricky.
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Born profoundly deaf in left ear, up to 5000 hz hearing in right ear and deficient. Perfect pitch though. So, my sensory input is unbalanced. Similar with eyes. Right eye retinopathy of prematurity and left eye is big nearsighted.
So, I’m ok on the diagonal 
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Being deaf I have a listen to everything extra closely, which unfortunately also can lead to excess input/being overwhelmed. I don’t get the luxury of selectively ignoring.
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