Excellent observation, Joseph. I completely agree that social media has created yet another illusion: superficial connections masquerading as genuine inter-personal relationships. And it’s incredibly worrisome that as our lives continue to leave us with less time to connect in person, we become increasingly more dependent on reaching others through social media. We share pictures and send birthday wishes to others instead of visiting them or takign the time to write and send cards.

It’s not just the news that’s “fake.” Our world is blanketed with soooo many illusions, and the toll they are collectively taking on all of us is accelreating. Every day, I wake up and wonder what the hell kind of world I’m living in. I don’t even recognize it anymore. In fact, it’s starting to feel so “fake” at every level that I almost feel like an observer of life sometimes. Like I’ve been watching a movie and suddenly realize that I’m in the movie. Did you ever see “The Truman Show”? I feel like we’re all one big cast, and some of us are coming very close to glimpsing the edges of a massive production set.