But thou wilt say again, that thou canst not keep from hearing of vanities, for divers, both those that live in the world and others, come oft to speak with thee, and tell thee some tales of vanity. As unto this I say thus, that thy communing with thy neighbour is not much hurt to thee, but helpeth thee sometimes, if thou order thy business wisely; for that thou mayest try and find out thereby the measure of thy charity to thy neighbour, whether it be much or little. Thou art bounden (as all other men and women are) to love thy neighbour principally in thy heart, and also in deeds to show him tokens of charity, as reason asketh, according to thy might and knowledge. (John Climacus)

Climacus is not writing for me, he is writing for monastics of the late classical era.

These men had freely chosen a particularly disciplined path for spiritual growth. Yet even they had trouble avoiding vain, superficial, and spiritually stunted talk.

We are drowning in it.

Somehow our culture has developed a growing fascination with the Lindsay Lohan's, Paris Hilton's, Ashton Kutcher's, and others who - in their defense - have never claimed to be more than pretty projections of fantasy.

Such celebrities are also our neighbors. But love is not a matter of indulging fantasies. Fantasy is an impediment to love. True love is engaging the reality of each other and working with one another to allow our fundamental realities to emerge.