The cult of superficiality
The Cult of Superficiality: How Appearances Eclipse Inner Truth in the Modern World
Blog Series: The Six Modern Maladies – Part 5
By Prof. Dr. Arshad Afzal | Mystic Wisdom Hub | @DrArshadAfzal1
“The world is full of masks. Only a few remember their faces.”
– Mystic aphorism from an old Sufi manuscript
In the digital agora of our times, humanity now resides in an empire of reflections—mirror upon mirror, projection upon projection. We live not to be, but to be seen. Welcome to the Cult of Superficiality, the fifth malady we unravel in this soul-shaking series.
Gone are the days when wisdom etched itself on the face of silence, when spirituality was worn in humility, and when truth was measured not in followers but in inner light. Today, what glitters gets the spotlight—even if it is dust painted gold.
The Age of Appearances
We scroll through curated faces, sculpted words, polished doctrines. From corporate brands to personal ‘brands,’ everything is about “image management.” People no longer dress for the Divine, they dress for the digital. Not for prayer, but for the profile.
Even spirituality is now filtered. One needn’t walk the path—one just needs a ring light and hashtags: #Woke #SacredSelf #MysticVibes.
But truth cannot be packaged. Nor can the soul be compressed into a carousel post.
The Displacement of Depth
This malady manifests as a quiet corrosion. Authentic conversations are replaced by slogans. Moral courage gives way to political correctness. Beauty loses its soul and becomes spectacle. Even grief and love are measured by likes.
This superficiality has infected institutions too. The scholar is often overshadowed by the influencer. The saint is muted by the motivational speaker. The contemplative is ignored in favor of the charismatic.
We forget: deep waters run silent. The most luminous souls don’t shout.
The Spiritual Implications
In mystical traditions—be they Sufi, Vedantic, Taoist, or Gnostic—truth always resides in the invisible: the unseen struggles, the whispered prayers, the inner refinement. When appearances are worshipped, the sacred retreats.
Superficiality breeds ego. And ego is the veil.
The Divine does not look at your face, or your titles, or your profile bio. It looks at your heart and your intentions. But in a world addicted to show, hearts are no longer nurtured. Only the mask is.
The Remedy
How do we cure this sickness of the surface?
We must return to sacred solitude. We must declutter the noise, fast from attention, and detox from validation. We must nourish our inner garden with sincerity, stillness, and deep reading. We must revive the lost art of awe.
A mystic once said, “Polish the mirror of the heart—not so others can see themselves in you, but so you can see the Divine clearly within.”
A Wake-Up Call, Not a Sermon
This blog does not preach from a pulpit. It lights a lamp in your cave. It does not say, “You are wrong.” It whispers, “Remember who you were before the world told you what to be.”
And in remembering, awaken.
About Mystic Wisdom Hub
Written by Prof. Dr. Arshad Afzal, former faculty at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, this blog is a sanctuary for seekers of esoteric, mystical, and spiritual insight—beyond the noise of modern chaos.
Follow us on Twitter/X: @DrArshadAfzal1
Visit our blog: mysticwisdomhub.blogspot.com
Contact: arshadfzal2001@gmail.com
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