The dodo, a now-extinct bird native to Mauritius, serves as a powerful metaphor for the importance of defense and vigilance. Its tragic demise is a lesson about what can happen when natural defenses are stripped away. Without the ability to protect itself from the new predators introduced by human colonizers, the dodo quickly vanished, leaving behind a legacy of caution about the consequences of being defenseless. In today’s world, the threats are different but equally dangerous. The forces that threaten our existence are not predators in the wild but rather the insidious influences of modern society. Corporations, driven by profit, have mastered the art of distraction. They keep generations idle or, worse, engaged in a constant cycle of superficial engagement—unnecessary social media, endless showoffs, and the pursuit of hollow validation. This manufactured idleness is not harmless. It erodes the natural defenses that should protect us—critical thinking, meaningful engageme...