Screen Lobotomy
This modern man of apathy has no means of communing with his Creator. He does not even want to hear the word “God.” He is annoyed at the very mention of the word, and so he turns on the black screen, binge watches hours of non-sense, and scrolls through hundreds of posts and reels, for this will surely take his mind off the hollow feeling within. And even if he cannot find something that stimulates his mind, he can still keep scrolling and clicking. And if he finds yet another mindless show, or another “breaking news” story that tells of the latest destruction or scandal, he can turn the channel yet again. And when the screen does not satisfy, there is the internet and all the vast amounts of content, images, videos, information and pornography that is there to distract and empty a person. Nothing can satisfy the youthful mind anymore; rather, it is the anticipation of the fleeting moment of hope experienced between the channels, text messages, posts, or songs that has him barely interested in staying awake for another moment.
First it started with the television, then the desktop computer which has now made its way into every pocket and hand. This “alternate reality” can now be accessed at any time and anywhere, making the endless stream of mindless information and taboo pleasures infinitely available. We are programmed to be gods and goddesses, for we are now able to be everywhere in the world, see and hear everything in the world, and we control it all with a click of a button or the movement of a finger. Man can now control it all in a virtual world, yet he will find real life slipping away as he becomes obsessed with the world of the machine, until finally, this too leaves him empty. “Cyberspace” has simply become another more engaging television, with which the modern man can numb his senses and become lost in a fantasy and image. We have seen the principles and effects of this before, but with exposure to endless “channels” we find it is even more difficult to pull ourselves away. If he does not unplug himself, man will plunge headfirst into apathy.
A man associated with successful advertising for many years, Jerry Mander, made a personal study of the effects of television (or moving images on screens). He said that the way a television image is formed is visual, in the “mind’s eye.” They use techniques in editing and distorting the image to achieve what a standard camera image cannot. The purpose is to implant the image directly in the memory so that it becomes indistinguishable from a real-life experience. How then do you distinguish truth from falsehood, and illusion from a real event? The television image is deliberately made to show “action,” “conflict,” “excitement,” and the appearance of life. Such glamorous images color the imagination and ideals especially of the young and impressionable. Those who desire to live in a true perception of life are stimulated by the various screens we put before us to live otherwise, and in a certain sense are brainwashed by the defiling image of nihilism.
The effect of an artificially alluring image, which actually mesmerizes and dulls the senses, shapes modern man and turns him into an empty receiver for the thoughts of “breaking free.” We even sense that the screens in our homes project the flatness of the world’s values and corrupt the mind, and we despise the machine. Yet we continue to stare at the screens, the dim light barely illuminating the darkness.
What about those who try to willingly reach for higher truths? What will become of them in the end? If they survive the boredom of the modern age, reject the “saints” of nihilism, and fight against the bliss of ignorance, there’s yet one more obstacle that must be overcome: Apathy can lead to sympathy... sympathy for the devil.
Excerpt from Youth of the Apocalypse, 2nd Edition (2024)