The age of this piece is only apparent in the historical references used when talking about the civilization that lived before the one featured in the story. However, the story is still quite futuristic, and relevant. Our civilization today, although more advanced, is still closer to the ancient one in the story than it is to the futuristic one. We have yet to completely eliminate human interaction or manage to have our civilization run and monitored by a single machine. Nonetheless, technology is only becoming more and more advanced – bringing us closer than ever, virtually, but also alienating us more than ever in the physical world (reality). In the story, the hum of the machine was a sound the people were oblivious to, they had been born hearing the hum so they knew no difference. That “hum” in today’s society is the subliminal messages we all constantly receive from the different forms of media we engage with – and for kids today, they are born hearing that hum. Likewise, in the story’s conclusion, it was realized the importance of keeping not only the soul happy but also the body. Although in our society today, our bodies are not just sitting in a room while our mind goes on simulated adventures, our world is only becoming more simulated. Video messaging/ calling, VR gaming and other experiences, online relationships, etc. are all ways in which we choose to entertain ourselves that are slowly contributing to distancing use from each other and “reality”.