Digital Exodus: A Symphony of Authenticity

These shallow souls, adrift on seas of vanity
Their empty hours filled with posing, primping, preening
A masquerade of manufactured joy and levity
Their essence eroded, façades falsely gleaming

No quest for knowledge stirs their stagnant minds
No books or arts can penetrate their haze
On comforts and indulgences their interest finds
In aimless drifting pass their wasteful days  

They spurn enlightening works that challenge and provoke
Preferring pap that dulls their dormant thoughts
True meaning they evade with joke and evasive spoke
Ever retreating to their superficial lots

Why read and ponder works of depth and weight?
When posing for the camera is their only trait

This barren land where fertile minds go fallow
Where intellectual pursuits are viewed with disregard
They cultivate only weeds, their minds too hollow
To nurture meaningful goals, aims lofty and hard

Their minds are undiscovered countries, unexplored
No inner expeditions made to their uncharted shores
Only the surface scratched, always wanting more  
But meaning they can never reach, try as they implore

Instead they fill the void with things, with scenes
Attempting to construct an image, a mirage
But their superficial lives still have no substance or sheen    
Only glossy veneers cover their camouflage

They have no inner fire, no light within
So they desperately flaunt every glittering pin

Like noisy gongs, clanging without rhythm
Announcing themselves but saying nothing   
Their ceaseless promotions are harsh and grating  
Constant clamor for attention, not easing or soothing

No thought to improve themselves, no time for books  
They'd rather admire themselves in rivers and brooks  
Taking photos nonstop, an unending flow
Hoping external validation will make them glow

But true radiance comes not from without but within  
It emerges from knowledge, from discipline and vim  
Not from the latest trends or superficial whim  
But from nourishment of body, soul, and mind  

Their minds lie fallow, not ploughed for wisdom's seeds
Thoughtless consumption their only need and creed

No intent to create, discover, grow    
 Content in comfort's hypnotic undertow
Adrift without purpose, engaged in life's show

Their hands could build, plant, write, and make
Instead they raise phones, the perfect fake  

They could compose, paint, craft and cook
But selfies get more eyes and hooks   

The tools for creation they leave untouched   
Too busy chasing what cannot be clutched
   
They have hands to sow, reap, and give
But only take, their barren lives cannot live

Having every chance to make their unique stamp
They waste it on frivolous self-vamp

Life offers a canvass, await their brush's stroke    
But navel-gazing into mirrors is the only art they evoke

Potential wasted on superficial promotion
Rather than creation and mindful devotion

This existential quandary, this conundrum of being
Finding meaning, purpose, without seeing

That social masks bring only delusion and sadness
Not fulfillment, wisdom gained from focus and gladness

The masks present an illusion, a vapor  
Of confidence, beauty, but substantively they are poorer

For meaning blossoms not from flaunting one's image
But nurturing compassion and courage within the soul's carriage

Doing, making, helping others light 'n lift -   
These bring lasting joy, not promoting some myth

Being seen bears no fruit, only being and doing
Will help bring meaning to their uninspired, unmoving

Minds seeking stimulation, hands itching to hold
Let devices fall, create and change without being told.

The masks they don is but a mortgage on the self
Payment deferred while they posture and preen
Never owning their lives, always on the shelf
Their being enslaved to keep up the sheen

No introspection penetrates their hardened shells
Cocooned in comfort, they cannot see
The slow erosion of their spirit, the subtle hells
As they sacrifice their soul for vanity  

They numb themselves with endless streams of feed
Mindlessly consuming each empty calorie
Never pausing to think, question, or take heed
Losing themselves in the digital reverie

Their minds grow flabby from disuse and neglect
Couch-potato consciousness they cultivate and perfect

Blinded by the glow of screens that breed dependence
Addiction masquerading as relevance  
They cling to devices, fearful of being alone
Texting, scrolling, swiping - trapped in the zone

Once within they cannot leave, fearing the silence  
The chance to reflect and rediscover true reliance   

And so they remain, trapped in the web
Unable to unplug, to self-reflect, to ebb

The chance to reinvent is always right here  
But first they must quiet the chatter and fear

Minds yearn to create, hands eager to hold  
Hearts longing to open, stories waiting to be told

Put down the devices, walk out, breathe deep   
Let inspiration flow, originality seep

Creating connection, finding one's voice
Comes not from screens but living by choice  

They could exit the maze of halls of mirrors  
And see their true selves, beyond the errors

Of equating image with spiritual wealth   
Once they realize spirit's anchored in self

Not seeking validation through likes and follows      
But traveling inward to unlock what hollows

Turning back from false paths, dead ends           
Rediscovering passion and purpose again

This existential discontent, yearning undefined   
Is the call to adventure from their soul opined

To discover their essence, buried under guise  
And become who they are, to their own surprise

By living with meaning, creativity and care  
Not keeping up fashions that leave them bare  

There is time to change, recreate, renew
To find purpose, bring dreams to life, see them through

With vision, vigor and an open heart   
Soulful trails revealed once masks depart.

Awakening from slumber's grasp, eyes now opened wide  
They shed old skin, no need to cling to facade and hide
   
The masks once worn grate and chafe, causes only strife    
Authentic living calls, waiting just outside life

Unclenching hands from devices, visions now in sight  
Creating, loving, reaching out - this brings true delight

Once chained to screens, craving clicks and scrolls   
Now crafting, writing, painting from stirred souls

Creating beauty, learning skills long neglected   
Cultivating talents that screen time rejected

Hands moulding, chiseling, weaving anew      
Hearts opened by care, compassion their cue

Discovering themselves as creators, not consumers  
Giving life meaning by being its consummate doers

No longer needing validation from external eyes  
They turn inward, their own soul's caretakers and allies

Shedding fear, doubt and inertia's undertow    
They flourish, spreading color on life's blank canvas show

Each day a chance to discover, nourish and share  
Not promote themselves but about others care

Turning away from mirages screens once sold    
They live authentically, life's mysteries unfold

With empathy, courage and creativity now primed   
They uphold human dignity, leave conformity behind

Once trapped in the virtual, now grounded in the real  
Purpose discovered, their lives reveal

The answers sought through likes andProjection will never suffice   
Meaning blooms when living true, from within, not device

Living each day purposefully, come what may  
Spreading compassion along the way

Leaving behind the shackles of other's gaze  
Liberated now to walk their own ways  

Eyes open in wonder, curiosity returned
Hands ready to learn as lessons gotten burned

Accepting themselves fully, shadows and light
The masks removed, truth now in sight

With empathy and courage they walk each day
Discovering meaning in their own way

Neither seeking validation nor shrinking inside
But sharing their gifts with purpose and pride

This self-reclamation, choice to live free
Emerges from within, from life's custody  

No longer hostage to trends or technology's glare
Their spirits fly unfettered, pioneering souls laid bare.

















   The poem is part of a full version found in the book “Homo Sapiens” Part Part I - XVIII, written by Mawphniang Napoleon. This book is part of the popular “Homo Sapiens” book series, which can be purchased online at various online bookstores, such as Amazon. The book is available for purchase for those who are interested in reading the complete version of the poem. Remember to get all the books from the “Homo Sapiens” series, as well as other books by the same author.   So, don’t hesitate and get a copy today from one of the many online bookstores.   Khublei Shihajar Nguh,  (Dhanewad  )(Thank you )