WORDS FROM FATHER YOHANES: The Influence of Images & the Disappearance of Moral Action

By Father Yohanes Akoit

Human history has always been shaped by the way we see the world. Take transportation, for example. In the beginning, we used to walk or rely on animals such as horses. The tiring experience of long journeys made us view transportation as something that needed improvement. From this came cars and other modes of transportation. This applies to every area of our lives. In that sense, we shaped the world according to our image.

But today, it is no longer we who shape our environment by our image. On the contrary, images gaze back at us, shaping our thoughts, desires, and entire lives. We are living in an era often called visual culture. We are surrounded by endless floods of images, symbols, photos, and videos. From the moment we wake up, open our eyes, and see the world, until the moment we close our eyes, our gaze is constantly fed by a stream of visuals. Responding to this atmosphere -this endless flood of images, we simply say, “It is what it is.” Unknowingly, we fail to recognize that images are never neutral. Every visual carries a message, an ideology, a trademark, and a social identity. It molds and shapes our way of life. The more we consume images, the more they shape our behavior and redefine our needs. Over time, we begin to lose our independence. Our choices are no longer truly ours. Instead, we become slaves to capitalism, driven by desires that were never ours to begin with.

We can easily recognize the social status of a person by looking at the products they consume. So, consumption is not just an act of satisfying human needs; it becomes a way to introduce a person’s social status to their neighbors. Based on that, we build our standards of living, ethics, and culture. Upon these standards, we measure our success in life. But our inner strength is weak. We are easily influenced by advertisements and their algorithms. Because of this overwhelming influence, our minds and consciences are injected with dreams and desires for certain products. Something that was once unconsidered and unnecessary is now desired and needed. Yes, we are shaped by images. And as we drown in the flood of visual culture, we lose our virtue of action. This happens because visual culture replaces the virtue of action. It’s as if we fall back into a childhood stage - the early phase of learning reality, where seeing comes before words. A child observes and recognizes before they can speak. Visual culture traps us in that moment, keeping us in a state of passive observation. No action follows.

This tendency was already recognized by Jesus in His time, as shown in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31). The rich man was absorbed in his personal comfort and moral isolation. His failure to act was not due to ignorance or lack of opportunity, but a deliberate choice to remain passive. His indifference was not accidental. It was the result of habits shaped by self-centered living. Even though he saw Lazarus suffering daily, that sight alone did not move him. He had become numb to the needs of others, or no action follows.

Considering all this, we learn that images are never neutral. They always carry an ideology. If we fail to recognize this, then we will be shaped according to its mechanism. We will have a fake identity. So let us not be passive. The Gospel calls us to have critical thinking, respond with compassion and avoid indifference. Like Jesus taught, seeing must lead to action - faith must shape how we live. And in this flood of visual culture, we must also learn to discern between true needs and mere wants. Only then can we live with integrity and resist being shaped by illusion.

Father Yohanes Akoit is pastor of St. Julian and St. Anthony Catholic churches in Kentucky.