Shadows of the Modern Age #436*

Shadows of the Modern Age In this era's glow, where screens cast long shadows, Idolatry dons a guise of progress, its whispers soft in the digital morn. We kneel not at stone but before the gleam of the new, In temples built of silicon, circuits our sacred runes, Our time the offering, our gaze the devoted prayer. Chasing the breeze, wealth a mirage dancing on desire's edge, Technology's siren song lures us to isolation's jagged cliffs. Seeking approval in likes, in the count of followers, We drift from self, the touch of another, the sound Of voices not through speakers, but echoing soul to soul. This modern worship, stealthy, creeps, Turning hearts to circuits, seeking connection in connectivity, Communion lost to comments, fellowship to scrolling feeds. Yet through the noise, a faint call to return, To awaken from the grip of fleeting gains. To see this age's idols is to look beyond the screen's allure, Questioning the value of our digital hoards, Finding balance amid the binary, seeking meaning past the material. A journey to the core, where worth is not in what we hold But in the depth of bonds, in moments shared, In a spirituality that ties us not to fleeting things But to the everlasting, beyond division, to the divine. In this awakening lies our freedom, A path back to essence, to what it means to truly live, Beyond the shadows cast by modern idols, into timeless truth's embrace. Written by Steven G. Lee (March 1, 2024)