2023: The First Quarter

Life in the 21st Century

HAS SOCIAL MEDIA BEEN TAKEN OVER BY AI ???

When personal online interaction morphed from emails and Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), to the early Social Media formats such as Myspace, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, etc., there was much fun to be had. But as the tech advanced, these once popular online formats morphed away from being genuine social medias into Big Business formats for entrepreneurs and 'bad actors' of greed and avarice. 

While there are still people who desire to form genuine connections with like-minded people, many of them are being duped in various ways, by both individuals and groups of people, whose only desire is to steal information that they might employ to their financial advantage. These 'Bad Actors' do not care who or how badly their 'victims' are harmed in the process.

Jealousy and envy (wanting what someone else has) is nothing new. It began in the Garden of Eden and has been multiplying exponentially ever since. Proving the age-old adage that "The love of money" (the desire to have it all) is indeed,  "the root (core) of ALL EVIL."

-------

SO WHAT IS THE POINT?

The Demand for a Sign

Matthew 16 NIV 

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

Just as the religious leaders and scholars of Jesus' time were blind to the relevance of the Christ's teachings, so are many people today who believe they have their finger on the pulse  of living life today.

It is as though they are wearing 'spiritual blinders'. They can only see what is directly in front of them. They are blind to THE BIG PICTURE. They lack awareness as to the reason things are the way they are. They live one day at a time, seeking all they can grasp for their own personal gain, and generally see themselves as having a better grasp on life than most other people. 

In all truth, they are the most to be pitied. For as long as they are spiritually "Blind, Deaf, and Dumb" to the real purpose of life as a whole (and their own life in particular), they will never be satisfied. For this life is temporal / temporary, and if all we do in the short time-span we have on this Earth, is to chase the winds of fortune, then we will never attain the true, deep, and everlasting meaning, value and purpose of our existence. All will be for naught (for nothing, meaningless, purposeless -- of no value).

That is why when someone we love and/or care deeply about dies, we feel genuine sorrow and loss. We feel that DEATH CHEATS US OF LIFE.

When in all truth, we cheat ourselves when we fail to seek the true meaning and purpose of the life we have been given by our Creator - THE ONE who GIVES US the opportunity to Seek Him, to Know Him, and to Love Him (and be loved by Him). And not just for our short time on Earth. But for ALL ETERNITY !!!