Daily (Maximilien Robespierre–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

"Unless you do everything for liberty, you have done nothing. There are no two ways of being free: one must be entirely free or become a slave once more."

Lord,
in every age,
the promises of liberty
can be betrayed
by the machinery of power.

In this new republic of code and wires,
guard me from both tyrants and mobs—
from surveillance systems
that watch without consent,
and from digital guillotines
that destroy lives in a single viral hour.

Teach me to love justice
without loving punishment.

Let my zeal for exposing wrongdoing
never outrun my commitment
to truth, proportion,
and the possibility of repentance.

Protect me from the intoxication
of righteous outrage online—
the thrill of joining a crowd,
of seeing heads roll
in comment sections
and careers end with a hashtag.

Help me examine
the tools I use in the name of virtue:
Are they transparent?
Are they accountable?
Do they protect the weak,
or merely satisfy our thirst
to see someone fall?

And grant that my stewardship
of this digital public square
would pursue a freedom
that does not devour itself—

where the defense of rights
never becomes an excuse
for cruelty.

AI‑assisted creative work: This litany is an imaginative parody pastiche using generative AI. It imitates the public persona of [Maximilien Robespierre for commentary and devotional reflection. It is not created by or affiliated with [Maximilien Robespierre], 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)