Astutely critical photos, Ken. Having just replied to your RYR post, this ties in neatly. It reminds me of when Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God,” and “Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” and “Labor not for the meat that perishes, but for the meat that endures unto everlasting life…” (the irony of this last verse being that it continues “which the Son of Man shall give unto you,” pointing once again to the futility of works-righteousness).

Long ago, when I was a yung-un, at 15, my prolific reading about the Shoah caused me to reject the Mall Message: I saw that it was all sham, cotton candy for the soul, utterly unsatisfying in the long run—and to boot, as evanescent as mist. If in one day, as had happened to the Jews under the Tarantulists, you could lose all your power, prestige, possessions, loved ones—indeed, your health and your very life—then what was the lasting meaning that transcended even death?