shards of something else.

"The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things --- the beauty, the memory of our own past --- are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have not visited."

~C.S. Lewis

this wonderful snippet was cited in a book i'm currently reading, which looks at the roots of the ecological crisis the world finds itself in today. it paints such a striking image of truth in my mind...... the book uses this to make a point: present-day society, if they choose to spare it a thought at all, worship nature itself, instead of worshipping nature's Creator, the ultimate artist whose genius is reflected in His creation. and this doesn't merely apply to the way we've idolized nature. look at all that we've glorified.... mere things and people that don't deserve our worship! no wonder we're never satisfied.... no wonder we're always coming up with newer, flashier gimicks to distract ourselves! how can one feel satisfaction when you aren't even looking to the source for the answer? what a wonderful wake-up call. i'm appreciating c.s. lewis' writings more and more.... ^-^

what dumb idols do you find upon the pedestal of your heart?