Never before in the course of human history has society lived in an illusionary existence, and most people do not even realize it. Whether it be the amount of time we spend on social media apps such as Instagram, Tik Tok, or Snapchat, most people live a life in defiance of reality. We live in a glass house of illusion, and we, the youth of society, are the most ignorant of this reality. We spend our lives worrying about how many likes we get on our Instagram posts or how many followers we have, then accomplishing nothing of purpose. Many of us equate the number of followers we have on social media with our popularity or friendship status. I remember talking to a fellow Laurentian about a colleague of ours, and he cited how unpopular he was based on the number of Instagram followers he had. A sad and pathetic analysis that says more about him than the person he criticized. Such a morphed view of reality is the problem of our modern life; we mistake someone’s virtual appearance for their actual appearance. 

Instead of exploring the beauty and meaning of life, whether through religion, the arts, or achieving accomplishments, we choose the opium of personal pleasure, whether it be videos, movies of self-gratification, or the quick dopamine hit of a Twitter or Instagram comment. We, unlike any other generations before us, are entrapped by a myriad of distractions, building on the pursuit of personal pleasure and creating the false illusionary life of the modern world. Such a life leaves the masses dull and stupefied, embracing false realities and twisting the very concept of objective truth. All of this is in pursuit of personal pleasure that can never be satisfied, despite the never-ending pursuit of the seeker. And when the day comes when this illusion breaks in the face of reality, the devastation will be incalculable. But there is hope for those who seek success in this life—for we have less and less competition. An ever-growing void for merit to succeed.