The machine man

One of the most basic phenomena studied by Gnostic psychology is the excessively technical, programmed and mechanical behaviour of contemporary man. It is often said that man is the master of nature. And, in fact, his greatest distinguishing feature, his intellect, was capable of great technological prodigies. For example, he enabled a person to connect to any part of the world through the interface of his mobile phone. He was able to create spacecraft, satellites, drones, automatic cars, robots powered by artificial intelligence, and so on. However, he ignores himself. He ignores that he is a machine of far greater complexity than any machine he has invented. That is why it is said that man is not yet man, but an intellectual animal, a machine man.

When we turn to the practical realm of the self-observable, we discover that this is proven in automatic reactive behaviour marked by a certain unconsciousness. Especially in thoughts, emotions and actions. In other words, we could say that this thinking, feeling and acting as we "want", as we wish, is actually not as free as we normally assume. Because, our desires, our projects, our plans, our opinions, our concepts are executed in our intimacy as software, algorithms or applications. All of it installed in this human machine whose functioning we ignore.

This programme corresponds to the multiple experiences that life has given us, and which resulted in the formation of our character and personality: family, school, religious, political, economic, sexual, social, cultural, etc. This programmes the man-machine. As a result, we live a life that follows the profound dictates of this mechanism.

The mechanics of life

Life is an incessant daily repetition. The succession of events between the moment of waking up and the moment of going to sleep is sometimes repeated like clockwork: waking up, getting dressed, eating, brushing teeth, driving, taking the bus, working, studying, drinking coffee, talking, eating again, wishing, shopping, complaining, fighting, lying, eating again, sleeping, etc. 

A person may not realise that the train of his life always follows the same tracks. And that, day after day, month after month, year after year, he keeps repeating scenes: some dramatic, some comic, some even tragic. He suffers from this theatrical, novelistic condition, but he does not even suspect that this is the logical result of what he himself does and what he carries within himself. And if he does not know himself, he will never be able to change this image and direct his life consciously.

"Ehe Intellectual Animal is a machine, but a very special machine; if this machine comes to understand that it is a machine, if it is driven and if the circumstances allow it, it can stop being a machine and become a Man. ". V.M. Samael.

Seeking a more conscious life

How can we transform our lives and stop being machines? The first step is to recognise that we are machines. However, we do not mean the intellectual attitude of believing, affirming and arguing that we are machine-men. Rather, we need to change our perspective and get out of our habitual way of thinking. That is, we need to activate the cognitive faculty of consciousness. In a word, to wake up, to perceive directly the stark reality of our unconsciousness, of the automatic mechanical behaviour that characterises our way of living. To realise that an unexamined routine life leads to a monotonous, boring and unbearable taste. Then, we understand that we are machines. For this, it is necessary to apply the techniques of self-knowledge as self-observation.

To start on this wonderful path to your inner self and learn all these techniques we invite you to our free online and face-to-face self-knowledge courses.