Love Letters to the Universe #16: The Smooth Operator

Dear Universe,

Thank you, my dear, for stories. They are the vehicle through which myth is transmitted to mass consciousness, allowing us a common forum to discuss and evaluate our own lives. They become a shared dream, where our insecurities and desires, hopes and fears are acted out. For our first foray into personality discussion, let us turn to the myths of the Robot- a male archetype that perennially resonates with us because it has important things to say about our situation.

A robot is a being that is run from artificial intelligence. It was constructed using science, but in reality it is a discussion of consciousness, the laboratory where science and magic are indistinguishable. The robot is made from man (or some other manlike intelligence) and looks upon the world, ponders its own existence and finds peace, or rebels against the universe that made it. So too, are we born (or created) and we find that consciousness begins to allow us understanding that should not be available to us in regards to our “programming”.

The lists of robots (both figurative and literal) pepper the mass consciousness because of this very reason. As a child I loved the Star Wars saga, but as a young adult, upon watching A New Hope once again, I was struck by one particular line. On Tatooine, the steadfast droid companions, R2D2 and C3PO are left alone and have a quiet discussion. C3PO reflects on his relationship with his small squawking and beeping friend.

“Why I stick my neck out for you R2 goes beyond capacity.” This statement speaks volume of the awakening consciousness in this artificial being. Just as C3P0 is an inorganic accumulation of matter run on electricity, so we are organic accumulations of matter running on electricity. We marvel over and over again at our own ability to go “beyond capacity” because of our love for our fellow beings.

This is the story of the robot, as it is the story of man. We perceive order in you, sweet universe, and see how we ourselves are created from this complex matrix. We must decide, however, if order is the sole purpose of this endeavor of life. If we do, then we will stagnate. We will fail to see that the you are perfection, and the definition of perfection is that which is infinitely more capable of being more perfect. But if we understand that order is the vehicle through which we experience, a carefully balanced system that allows us the chaotic notion of free will then we will continue to evolve toward the perfection of consciousness that overrides all systems, suffering, and death.

An interesting note about Robots: most suffer, especially when young, from a deficiency in their ability to self-diagnose. This leads to an affliction which I will furthermore refer to as: The Bladerunner Syndrome. These boys and men fail to understand their basic nature as Robots and will often try to act as if they are the male counterparts of the quadrant from which they derive their feminine aspects. This misunderstanding can result in much confusion and sometimes outright disaster, the likes of which I will discuss in each separate type’s description.

So, my love, as promised, are the four types of Robots that walk among the hairless monkeys:

The Operator, The Scientist, The Detective, The Scout

1. The Operator

Primary Mode of Operation: Order (East)

Secondary Mode of Operation: Control (East)

Epithets: Mr. Fixit, The Computer, The Vulcan, The Empirical Android

Mythic Examples: Hephaestus, Data, C3PO, Spock

Description: The Operator is the youngest of all the types. They have sprung from the tension between order and control. The Operator is most comfortable in routine, orderly environments where the illusion of control is greatest. This type is most uncomfortable with emotion, and will avoid most situations which will lead to any encounter with this messy subject matter. They make up for this (at least in their own minds) by being precise, technologically adept and dependable. If something is broken, the Operator, smiles with this new found purpose and sets to fixing it. They make wonderful systems managers, technicians, inventors, programmers and engineers. The Operator is in love with all manner of machine and is often far more comfortable dealing with the inner operations of these then their fellow hairless monkeys. As young children, the operators may have difficulty with a lot of physical attention, as many of their behaviors are concurrent with those experienced by hairless monkeys on the autism spectrum. Hence, the world of romance and intimacy is a foreign land to the Operator. This does not mean that the right Empress might not be able to “train” an Operator into an eager pleasure bot. For the operator, however, the control mode he shows due to his feminine Empress aspect is usually manifested as a kind of self-control best expressed in the mythic example of Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame. If things get too complicated, then the Operator buries himself in routine or some materialistic endeavor. If this fails then the control manifests as a kind of avoidance protocol which leaves many companions of the Operator feeling ignored or underappreciated. However, like Data, also of Star Trek, the operator can be a wonderful companion full of simple curiosity, technical ability, and dependability. And, like Data, if the operator is brave enough to challenge his own programming, he will have the remarkable achievement of redefining what a human being might become.

Ideal match: The Director (the Steel Empress)

Challenging types for the Operator: Anyone with Western (Fae) Aspects, especially the Sorcerer or the Sorceress.

The Shadow Type: The Drone- The Operator who retreats from the world of humanity and (all the wonderful varieties in you, my darling) becomes the Drone. The Drone tries to exist without emotion or intimacy. It respects only the predictable. The Drone had let the Control aspect of his Feminine side become too powerful in its drive to complete a total and irreversible order. The Drone may often appear to be outright asexual in his make up. For the Drone pleasure becomes an intangible satisfaction with sterile rigidity to form. When the Drone has a full on case of Bladerunner Syndrome, it becomes a reversal. The hairless monkey fails to understand that he is in fact a hairless monkey with human feelings and subject to ethics and morality. Without this careful attention to the moral order of things, the Drone can be used as a merciless weapon in the hands of the violent and despotic. Also, countless myths have shown how the Drone may rise up and try to erase everything illogical and human, as he sees himself as the paragon of perfection, while all else is an aberration worthy of extinction (the Terminator films, Ultron of Marvel Comics, D.C.’s Braniac, and so many others).

Ironically, the Operator, in his fully realized potential is a vital ingredient in the hopes for any kind of utopia. We have the technology right now to feed, clothe and educate the entire world. It is the Operator who can help us with this organizational achievement. The Operator would be very happy to do so, for in this service, the Operator feels his connection and place with you. What a true companion to hairless monkeykind! What a gift from you, my sweet.

With my eternal thanks,

Trav