Spirit, Technique, and the Glitch Within Modern Existence

When we are born, we enter the world as pure beings, unburdened by societal expectations or the complexities of morality. As children, we embody a primal spirit—a raw, untamed energy that exists in the eternal present. This spirit knows no fear, only spontaneous reaction. It perceives an iron wall but does not recognize it as a limitation. It acts without hesitation, driven by an innate confidence that neither negotiates nor doubts. This is the essence of pure being, the primal force that infuses life with vitality and depth.

Yet this spirit does not belong to the world in which it finds itself. It has fallen into a dense, material realm where it encounters the resistance of physical laws and societal structures. It is young, unshaped, and vulnerable. Recognizing this, the elders—those who have navigated existence before—introduce the spirit to technique. In its many forms—language, social norms, customs, and rituals—technique becomes the means by which the spirit learns to survive and thrive amid the rigidities of mundane existence.

At first, the technique serves as a necessary ally. It provides predictability, security, and order. It creates routine—a comforting monotony that mimics the safety of the maternal womb, alleviating the deepest existential fears. But as time passes, the technique begins to overshadow the spirit. It is deemed more reliable, prudent, and controllable. With its chaotic and unpredictable nature, the spirit is cast aside and seen as alien to the world of function and efficiency. The individual thus becomes something akin to a machine governed by patterns and habits severed from the primal force that once defined them.

This is the birth of the golem, the archetype of the mechanized human, driven by fear and an amnesia of its spiritual essence. The golem is efficient but hollow, capable of functioning within societal norms yet incapable of transcending them. It is the product of an over-reliance on technique—a being that has forgotten its original nature.

At the other end of the spectrum lies the fool, the archetype of the individual whose spirit has consumed technique entirely. The fool is ruled by impulse, existing in the eternal present like a child but without the grounding force of societal norms. They are dynamic, unpredictable, and often misunderstood. Society views the fool through two lenses:

The Optimistic Lens: The fool is revered as a beacon of the primal spirit, a reminder of what has been lost in the pursuit of order and predictability. They are envied for their freedom and authenticity. Unshackled by technique, the fool embodies the potential for genius. They can drive extraordinary breakthroughs that push humanity forward if their energy is channeled correctly.

The Pessimistic Lens: The fool is feared by those who cling to the security of technique. They are seen as disruptors of order and threats to predictability. The golems of society, having fully surrendered to technique, seek to control the fool, often through medication, confinement, or social marginalization under the guise of “normalization.”

 

The Glitch Within Modern Existence

In the modern world, we are caught in a paradox. We are born with hunger—a primal instinct to seek, to consume, to experience. As infants, we seek nourishment from our mother’s breast. As we grow, our hunger expands. We devour art, science, emotions, competition, and ideas. Yet we are never satisfied. The world offers infinite stimuli, and we remain perpetually engaged yet never truly fulfilled.

This insatiable hunger is the essence of the glitch. It is the disruption within the system, the irregularity, that defies predictability. The glitch is the spirit’s rebellion against the monotony of technique. It is the impulse to transcend the mundane, to break free from the constraints of routine and mechanization.

The modern world, with its relentless stream of entertainment and passive consumption, exacerbates this glitch. We are taught to receive without questioning and to consume without creating. This leaves us empty, disconnected from our true nature. Our alienation is not merely a symptom of a particular society or political system—it is woven into the very fabric of modern humanity. We are creatures of flesh and bone, yet we harbor the appetites of demigods, yearning for experiences that transcend our mortal limitations.

Some see this as a transitional phase, a step toward post-humanity. The glitch, then, is not a flaw but a signal—a call to evolve, to embrace the tension between spirit and technique, and to forge a new synthesis.

The Path Forward

The solution does not lie in rejecting technique outright nor in allowing it to dominate us completely. True liberation emerges from the integration of the two. The magician is the archetype that embodies this balance. They understand the laws of the material world (technique) but remain guided by the primal force of spirit. They are interpreters and channelers of the fool’s chaotic energy, transforming it into something meaningful and transformative.

To navigate the glitch of modern existence, we must wield technique as a tool, not as a crutch. We must embrace the spirit’s hunger—its desire for transcendence—while remaining anchored in the material world. This requires wisdom: the ability to discern the essential from the trivial, the authentic from the imposed.

Ritual provides a way forward. It is the sacred space where spirit and technique converge. In ritual, the individual becomes the center of a vast ocean of possibilities. Every neuron, every fiber of the body, and every emotion is woven into the process. The ritual is a dance with the infinite, a disruption of the limitations imposed by external forces. It is the closest we come to apotheosis—a merging with the divine essence from which we sense we originate. It is not merely a return but a remembrance of the fullness of our being.

Conclusion

We live in an age of glitches, where the tension between spirit and technique defines our existence. The challenge is not to eliminate this tension but to embrace it, to find harmony between the primal energy of the spirit and the structured order of technique. In doing so, we can transcend the limitations of the mundane and move toward a fuller, more authentic existence. The glitch is not our enemy—it is our guide, pointing us toward the infinite possibilities that lie beyond the predictable and the ordinary.

In this integration of infinity, we are truly free.