Alex Maskara


Thoughts, Stories, Imagination of Filipino American Alex Maskara

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Popong15/Digital Cleansing



It is finally happening—I am gradually losing interest in the social media and internet world. While I still find occasional value in the information and curiosity it offers, I am stepping back, especially from platforms like Facebook. I still engage with apps like YouTube and TikTok, but my presence there is intentionally low-key, practically invisible unless someone is determined to seek me out.

I want to be like Jim and Matt, for whom the digital world is alien. Their lives are firmly rooted in the real world, leaving no room for virtual distractions. Jim, in particular, inspires me when I see him absorbed in sports on TV. He represents millions—perhaps billions—of people who resist the grip of technology designed to shape attitudes, modify behaviors, and lead users like zombies to a wasteland of emptiness.

That’s not the road I want to travel. Nice try, Meta. Nice try, algorithm. You won’t become gods to me. I’ve studied the science of computing, and I see through the manipulative designs cloaked under the guise of a ‘user experience.’ You can continue your schemes, but I won’t bow to you. Others may succumb to your lures, desperate to fill their social hunger and gain the fleeting recognition you offer in the virtual world. It’s tragic to see lives reduced to chasing illusions—mere crumbs of existence.

I remember the gamer kids, glued to their screens, sustaining themselves on a reputation built in the virtual world. Many denied their real-world needs—food, sleep, and physical health—just to maintain their presence in a realm devoid of true life. That is the last thing I want as I grow older.

I am profoundly thankful to the Lord for His blessings. First, for this house, which has become a sanctuary of peace and calm. I owe it to Jim, who led me to purchase it while he was desperately searching for a rental for himself and his dog, Rocky. I bought this house for their survival, but little did I know it was God’s plan for my own survival. Here, I have found the quiet world I needed as I embrace the wonder of my retirement years.
Had I not acted on that divine nudge, I might still be in that rental building, dealing with landlord-tenant conflicts and the toxic elements that disrupted my life. The bad influences I once allowed into my space drained my resources and destabilized my emotions. If I had stayed there, I might have succumbed to the toll on my mind and body by now.

But the Lord has always been kind. He lifted me from sinful desires and habits that tied me to that life and replanted me in this quiet abode. Here, I’ve rediscovered peace, self-love, and the profound silence of God. My days are filled with contemplation and meditation, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Some might attribute my life’s changes to randomness, dismissing my faith. But I know better. If I had relied solely on my instincts, I would have been lost—impoverished, broken, or worse, long ago. It is God’s plan, not mere chance, that has brought me to where I am today.

For this, I am eternally grateful. The Lord has shielded me from the schemes of the devil, holding me firm against the currents of this world. Reflecting on my life, I realize that many of the technological trends I once followed weren’t truly about technology; they were social constructs masquerading as progress.

Now, I choose a different path—one of quiet reflection and gratitude.
2025-01-08 12:13:57
popong

Popong15/Digital Cleansing

Popong14/Interrupted Life

Book Reviews 2024

Readings (part1)

Measure of Success

Popong 13/Brutal Truth

Apung Belto

Acacia

Anchored Angel Review

Popong 12 / Meditation on Computer Obsession

Popong 11/Accomplishments

Dark Blue Suit

Popong 10/Reflection

Disposing, Clearing

Self-Directed

Mod Dream

Mallari

Sunday Thoughts and Book Review

Lazaro Sembrano

Manila in the Dark

Boy Luneta

A Night at the Luneta Grandstand

Migratory Bird (circa 2005)

Manila Travel 2022

On Bad Blood (Part 1)

Understanding my unique Self on my way to Retirement

Intramuros 1

Pasig River

Proenneke

A Visit to Quiapo with El Fili2

Visiting Quiapo with El Fili

The Very Thought of You

THE DIARY OF ANTONIO PIGAFETTA

Visions of St Lazarus 1

Popong 9

Diary of A Masquerade

Acacia

Brother, My Brother (Ben Santos)

Popong 8

F Sionil Jose

Four Students - 2

Popong 7 - Meditation

Popong 6 - Meditation

Friday Night Thoughts

Current Interests

Bulosan Syndrome

Maid of Cotton

Popong 5

Popong 4

Current Readings 2

Popong 3

Reading: Name of the Rose

Current Readings

Popong 2

Web Projects

Getting Back in the Game – Technology

Four Students

Selya

Last of the Balugas

Introduction To Popong