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Duncan Hilton's avatar

Thanks Mark. Lots to think about! Your first few paragraphs reminded me of David Foster Wallace in his 2005 Kenyon Commencement Speech: “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life . . . there is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship… is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. … Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out.”

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Mark Kutolowski's avatar

Here's a comment on this essay received on our blog:

I found this article extremely insightful when speaking to the manifestations of idolatry in modern society. When I examine my own choices and expressions, I try to pull back from judgement. This is difficult to do. For instance, my family and I chose to do everything we could to not only protect our son (he cannot productively cough) but also because we felt any help, whether masks or vaccines, was an expression of love towards our neighbor. The danger comes into play when my ego says that this path is the only path. Or when I feel hurt that others don’t care enough to do the same. In fact, I have had this reoccurring thought that ego is what keeps us separated from God. The trust in our own intellect and thought becomes God —and there’s that idolatry. I pray that I may learn to let go of my thoughts and grab on to God’s thoughts. His will be done. Oooh that is so hard! -Maria Lara

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