In a world filled with information, with knowledge at our fingertips and opinions filling every corner of our devices, it can seem as if we’re more enlightened than ever before. But are we?
What if our understanding — of life, of truth, even of ourselves — isn’t quite what it seems? What if the light we think we’re basking in is, in fact, just a flicker from a screen? Perhaps, now more than ever, we need a different kind of enlightenment.
Here are six reasons why.
- Our understanding is exposed to illusion.
Switch on the television, scroll through your phone, open a glossy magazine — and you’re met with a very particular view of what matters: beauty, wealth, success, celebrity. These are the currencies of modern culture. The unspoken message? You need this. You should want that.
“I need to stay late at work. I have to look good. I must keep up.”
These phrases reveal more than urgency — they expose subtle beliefs: that how long we work each week defines our value, that attractiveness determines our worth, that popularity is a measure of success.
But perhaps you’ve felt, quietly, that something doesn’t sit right. That these values ring hollow. That, in chasing them, we’re slipping into a trap — one we didn’t set, but one we reinforce every day.
- Our understanding is shaped by technology.
Few would deny the marvels of modern technology. Where would we be without the car, the washing machine, or the internet? Science has given us tools, knowledge, speed — and a whole new way of looking at the world.
But there’s a shadow side. As technology increasingly defines our lives, it can also narrow our sense of what’s real. The scientific worldview, focused on what is measurable and material, often leaves little room for mystery — or for meaning that transcends the physical.
We can start to believe that nothing exists beyond what science can verify. That truth is only what can be proven. And yet, love, justice, hope — these cannot be dissected in a laboratory. Perhaps we’ve lost touch with the light that guides us through the intangibles.
- Our understanding is manipulated by consumerism.
Advertising works by igniting a want — a desire we didn’t even know we had. The latest phone, the perfect holiday, the car that makes a statement. We swipe, we buy, we justify. And then we do it again.
The psychologist Albert Ellis warned about the language we use: “must”, “should”, “need”. He called these signs of irrational beliefs. “I must have that,” we say. “I need to feel good.” We chase possessions to fill a gap we can’t quite name.
But the gap remains. And the more we consume, the more it grows. Could it be that the real hunger is not for things, but for something more enduring — more meaningful? An inner richness, not found in the checkout basket, but in insight.
- Our understanding is limited by our circumstances.
History teaches us that our understanding evolves. Once, we believed the Earth was the centre of the universe. Then, that the atom was indivisible. Today’s scientific truths may well become tomorrow’s misconceptions.
Our ideas about life — about love, morality, purpose — are just as subject to change. They’re shaped by culture, tradition, family, faith, experience. We absorb them without even knowing. Yet they vary vastly from one person to the next.
As the 18th-century philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg observed, each of us perceives truth through the lens of our own condition. What we grasp is only an approximation of something deeper. And so our task is not to be certain — but to keep seeking.
- Our understanding is influenced by personal fears and needs.
We want to fit in. To please. To belong. Our beliefs are often inherited from parents, peers, and communities. And it’s hard to let go of them, even when they no longer serve us. Especially when doing so feels disloyal, or frightening.
Doubt can feel dangerous — yet it can also be liberating. To question, to wrestle, to re-examine — this is how understanding deepens. But it’s not easy.
There’s a story — a joke, perhaps — of a man who, upon dying, finds two signs at the gates of heaven. One points to God. The other to a discussion about God. He takes the second. Sometimes, we prefer to talk the talk, rather than walk the walk. Eventually, we need to act on what we discover, and then perhaps we will see more deeply.
- Our understanding falters before something greater than ourselves.
At some point, each of us meets a limit. A parent’s no. A mountain’s immensity. The body’s decline. These moments remind us that we are not all-powerful. That there are forces larger than our will, stronger than our knowing.
We start to ask: What is behind all this? Who — or what — holds it together? Is there a deeper thread running through it all?
Whether we call it nature, spirit, humanity, or God — something stirs in us when we face the mystery. Not the mystery of gaps in knowledge, but the mystery of existence itself.
And perhaps, that’s where true enlightenment begins.
I’m sure all scientists would admit that their scientific instruments cannot directly measure the origin of compassion, honesty, or justice. We can’t see the source of virtue, any more than we can see the wind. But we feel its presence — in acts of kindness, in beauty, in the good moments when life seems to hold more meaning. The eye sees the surface of things. But the inner eye — that sees further. And so, in a world teeming with information, we might still ask for light. Not the glare of the screen, but the kind of light that brings insight. Not just knowledge — but wisdom. Not just facts — but understanding. Because it’s only with that inner illumination that we begin to discern what truly matters.
Copyright 2025 Stephen Russell-Lacy
Author of The Great Questions of Life
