Digital imagery bombards us with appearances of camaraderie, driving us deeper into nihilism and distracting from spiritual awakening. Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), German philosopher and literary and social critic, articulated the power of (then) mechanical reproductions in art to replace traditions such as creativity, genius, and eternal religious values, with popular culture determined by man through politics.  Benjamin's insights on the political and social implications of mechanical reproductions are more disturbing when applied to distractions of the digital age. In his 1936 essay entitled "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Benjamin details how mechanical reproduction of art opened doors of sense perception that would accelerate the ascendancy of culture over religion (and tradition generally) by empowering politicized mass culture.  Benjamin begins by recounting how the uniqueness of art originally had its intrinsic value in...(Read Full Article)