We were both drained.
And as we sat talking, I noted that The Machine was stealing our joy.
The Machine does not live.
The Machine has no brain.
The Machine commands its tasks, all it has done, all it knows.
The Machine needs no input.
The Machine is efficient, with replaceable parts. (Thank you, Henry Ford.)
The Machine requires maintenance. Not love, creativity, warmth.
The Machine was stealing our joy.
We built The Machine.
I swore I never would. "I will never be part of The Machine.
I don't believe in it."
But as surely as entropy increases,
The Machine builds itself.
And I believe.
We became The Machine.
The gears, belts, cogs, wheels.
We churned out the product, uncertain of demand.
And The Machine steals our joy.
6 comments:
Jacques Ellul would agree.
Dude, where have you been? Nice to see you on the blogosphere!
And what a great connection! I have never read Ellul, but Wikipedia caught me up as much as it could. ;)
Is there any alternative to making these "techniques"? I feel like that's the nature of life. I find if I shower, then shave when I get out, it's best for me. Then again, some days I shower, wait, then shave. Some days I don't shave. Heck, some days I don't shower. I guess that's the "organic" way of doing life.
Do you find this connecting to anything in your life? It obviously connected with something in mine.
The machine is in full operation every day of my week.
These questions come to mind: "Should I throw a rock in the machine? Is it contributing to my own sense of security, responsibility, duty? Or is it hindering creativity, spontaneity, and joy? Should I sacrifice one for the other? How do I run the machine without it running me?"
I'll get back to you.
very nice
I think part of Ellul's point is that we've created a machine we cannot escape from. We can't not live in the machine. We can't live off the grid. We can't live without Facebook, GPS, or microwaves.
Living beyond technique? Well, I think it begins by valuing other things beside the most efficient. Like relationships. Those aren't efficient. Art is not efficient. Beauty isn't. Conversations aren't. A Sunday joy-ride isn't. I think technique has its place, but not at the top, only alongside other things. The machine is useful, but other things are more important.
I've been around the blogosphere. Like here.
Life without Facebook? Are you kidding? And how would we EVER have made it to Boston with no GPS?? ;)
I see what you're saying, those are good examples. And I agree, art is not efficient. It's not bullet points, that's for sure. But it does communicate.
So, if we can escape from it, then we're not necessarily part of Ellul's Machine?
That's hopeful. Thanks for the insights. Your brilliance counterparts my ignorance quite well!
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