[But the real power of gestalt theory lies in applying the idea of closing open gestalts more abstractly. A more general way an open gestalt can be defined is as anything that tugs on a person’s attention. For instance, a feeling of hunger is an open gestalt: it draws your attention away from whatever you’re thinking about and towards your belly (starting a cascade of events to close the gestalt, respond to it, e.g., by obtaining food). Similarly, a desire to meet someone, an urge to write down an inspiration, a need to close a loose end in a story, and even a desire to complete an uncompleted chord progression in music can also be considered open gestalts: they sit in the back of your mind demanding a small piece of your attention until you finally respond to them.[1]](#ftnt1)