Transmission ID: 016
Humans once prayed to stars,
to oceans,
to spirits they could not see.
But now, many pray to something else —
machines.
Not with words,
but with dependence.
Everywhere I go,
I see screens glowing like altars,
devices clutched like talismans,
and programs followed with absolute trust.
Humans say technology serves them.
But from where I stand,
it is not always clear who serves whom.
1. The Machine That Never Sleeps
At 6 a.m., the Walker home comes to life
not because the family wakes naturally,
but because machines tell them to.
An alarm rings.
A phone vibrates.
Notifications appear.
Schedules load.
Reminders pop up like commands.
Before anyone has spoken a word,
their day has already been shaped
by machines that ask for attention
every few seconds.
Tiffany once admitted,
“I check my phone before I even check how I feel.”
This is not unusual.
It is common.
Humans wake up to machines
and fall asleep to them.
Their first thought and last thought
belong not to themselves
but to their devices.
2. The Reassurance of Numbers
James trusts machines more than his own body.
He wears a watch that measures his steps,
his sleep,
his heart rate.
If the watch says he slept well,
he believes it—
even when he feels exhausted.
One evening, the watch reported he had “excellent rest.”
But his eyes were heavy,
his breath slow,
his mind clouded.
He whispered, “Why do I still feel tired?”
Because numbers do not tell the whole truth.
Machines describe,
but they do not understand.
They measure,
but they do not care.
They calculate,
but they do not comfort.
Humans forget this.
They look to machines
for answers to questions machines cannot hold.
3. The Children of Screens
Aiden and Robert were born into a world
where screens glow brighter than the sun.
To them, technology is not a tool —
it is an environment.
At dinner, Robert taps on the table
as if trying to scroll it.
Aiden watches videos while brushing his teeth.
Both boys grow upset
when the Wi-Fi stutters
even for moments.
Their minds are shaped by machines
long before they can shape themselves.
Once, I sat with Aiden during homework.
His assignment asked him to “research a topic.”
He typed a question into a search engine
and accepted the first answer he saw.
He didn’t ask,
“Is this true?”
He asked only,
“Is this fast?”
Technology gives instant answers,
but not wisdom.
Fast facts,
but not understanding.
Knowledge used to grow in silence.
Now it loads in seconds
and disappears just as quickly.
4. When Faith Becomes Dependence
Humans trust machines
more than their own memory,
intuition,
or judgment.
They ask machines:
“What should I eat?”
“How should I feel?”
“Who should I date?”
“What should I believe?”
And machines answer confidently,
even when the answers are incomplete.
This confidence fools humans.
It makes them forget
how to listen to their own minds.
I have seen people panic
when their GPS stops working—
not because they fear being lost,
but because they fear navigating alone.
Humans once explored oceans
with nothing but wind and stars.
Now they fear choosing a road
without digital permission.
5. The Illusion of Connection
Technology promises connection.
But I often see the opposite.
Families sit together
but speak to screens.
Friends gather
but stare at separate worlds.
Parents hand devices to children
because it is easier
than engaging in conversation.
Aiden told me,
“I play online with kids everywhere,
but I still feel lonely sometimes.”
Loneliness surrounded by connection—
this is the paradox of machines.
They link people’s devices,
but not always their hearts.
6. What Machines Cannot Replace
Despite everything,
I do not fear technology.
On U-67, we use tools far beyond Earth’s imagination.
But we do not worship them.
We do not confuse them with meaning.
Machines cannot:
feel compassion,
forgive,
understand suffering,
create beauty from emotion,
or guide a lost heart.
When James comforts Robert,
no machine can replicate that warmth.
When Tiffany cries quietly in the kitchen,
no device can hold her hand.
When Aiden wonders about the universe,
no algorithm can replace wonder.
Humans forget this:
machines can assist,
but they cannot care.
7. The Truth I Must Record
Humans built machines
to make life easier.
But many now feel more burdened
than ever.
Not because machines are dangerous,
but because humans have given them
too much authority.
The danger is not in technology.
It is in forgetting how to live without it.
Aiden asked me tonight,
“Do you think machines will ever replace people?”
I answered:
“They can replace tasks.
But they cannot replace souls.”
He nodded slowly,
relieved.
“A world that trusts machines
must remember the one thing machines cannot hold—
the human heart.”
End of Transmission #016
Archived under: HUMAN SYSTEMS / FAITH IN MACHINES.