slip-sliding away…..

Have you ever noticed
the contrast
between
places and moments of sacredness -
quiet and real -
and the outside world?

Have you noticed
the immediate shift
when you leave
that safe space 
and go back out there,
to flail
in the vicious cauldron
that bubbles
with worldly illusions and distractions?

It wasn't always like this.
Centuries (or even decades?) ago,
life
was more real.
People pondered 
death
and 
eternity.
Time
wasn't something to kill.
It was valued,
with awareness
that it
could      end
at any moment.

But 
s   l   o   w   l   y
s  l  o  w  l  y
slowly
our world was infected
infested
with hedonism.

Desires ramped up
in a never-ending pursuit
of enjoyment and play.
Entertainment
the new deity.

Senses drowned
coupled with 
information and media overload
which erased our chances of quiet reflection.

No need
to ponder
anymore.
Don't     stop and think.
Justenjoy because LifeIsShort and YOLO so Obey Your Thirst and Just Do It.
And do it NOW!

Slowness 
   is the enemy.

Thoughtfulness 
   is outdated.

Speed is the cure. Instant gratification the norm.

But
when you're yanked out
from this Matrix;
when you're confronted
with the reality
of mortality,
you're reminded
that so much
of what we focus on -
           the never-ending streams
           flowing from screens,
           the construct
           of social norms and values
           dictated
           by the powerful -
is just. plain. garbage.

A web
carefully designed 
to keep us occupied,
believing 
that 
everything around us -
what we see hear taste touch -
is real life.

We're intoxicated 
by the artificial,
and now
we live
in the cages they’ve trapped us in, 
thinking ourselves happy...
when we don’t even see the bars.

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