TECHNOCRATIC ESTRANGEMENT

"Who has not, at some time, been lonely in the midst of a social event? The feeling of our separation from the rest of life is most acute when we are surrounded by it in noise and talk. We realize then much more than in moments of solitude how strange we are to each other, how estranged life is from life.... The walls of distance, in time and space, have been removed by technical progress; but the walls of estrangement between heart and heart have been incredibly strengthened. - Paul Tillich, The Shaking of the Foundations

In his theological explorations, Tillich rightly recognised the challenge of post-Enlightenment cultures to traditional Christian formulations. But his attempts at correlative solutions often underestimated the flexibility and durability of the tradition. He was at his most persuasive in his sermons, I think - The Eternal Now (pictured) as well as the aforementioned Foundations.