Daily (Leonard Cohen–style) Digital Life Litany for Protection, Direction and Stewardship

Caveat emptier: This post was drafted with help from an AI assistant (Perplexity)— but ideated and edited extensively by the human, Bill Acton

Wikipedia

Lord,

you know the cracks in me

better than any algorithm ever could.

You also know how easily

this bright, humming world

can widen them.

When I turn to the screen

looking for comfort—

a face, a song, a scrap of news—

help me notice

when the comfort curdles into gloom,

when the scroll becomes a prayer

to gods of envy and despair.

Protect me from illusions

of intimacy without cost:

late‑night messages

that ask nothing at first,

then slowly reach

for my secrets,

my money,

my trust.

Guard my image

from being sliced and repurposed—

my voice cloned,

my words misquoted,

my history rewritten

by tools that care nothing

for truth or consent.

Teach me to bless the cracks

without glamorizing the wounds—

to speak honestly about pain

and failure and doubt

without feeding the appetite for spectacle.

And when I log off

into the quiet,

let some small, true light

still be there—

a reminder that love,

in its slow, unmarketable way,

is safer than fame

and wiser than any feed.

AI‑assisted creative work: This litany is an imaginative parody pastiche using generative AI. It imitates the public persona of [Leonard Cohen] for commentary and devotional reflection. It is not created by or affiliated with [Leonard Cohen] and should not be taken as his real views or words.

wracton@gmail.com
williamacton.legalshieldassociate.com (Legalshield and IDshield subscription information and applying for associate positions)