I wrote this in 2003 and revised it in 2006. Even though I have thought of some more items to add to it since then, I think I’ll leave the manifesto as it is for the time being…
I think life – the one life we have – is best used as an opportunity for growth, and see objectiveness, fairness, and self-improvement as a way of making a better world.
My way of thinking is based on the “ideas” or “guidelines” – not rules – laid out below:
- We live in a relative world.
We live in a relative world. Would it be that difficult, then, to concede that our answers to our world’s questions tend to be relative ones, too? It sounds much more sensible (and much nicer on the ear as well) when we say “That’s what I think” rather than “That’s what it is.” Why not say “I don’t understand this yet,” rather than try to make up a straightforward answer and imprison ourselves within it? - I do not believe. I think.
I do not believe. I think. - What is, is.
What is, is. It seems to me that no real achievement would be possible unless we first learned to face the truth, as objectively as is humanly possible, no matter how contrary to our beliefs or our way of thinking that may be or how uneasy it may make us feel. - Judge from without.
I think objective judgment would be possible only if we first learned to step outside ourselves and look at ourselves, those around us, and those far away from us from without rather than from within. Balanced judgment is not possible unless all sides are considered in the same light. Break free then! Step out! - You are what you do.
To me goodness is not a state, rather it’s a process. Having defined goodness (or badness for that matter) as such, it follows that your goodness or badness, rather than being an imaginary state or quality to be possessed, exists first and foremost in the way you act. Put simply, this would mean that if you do good things you are good, and if you do bad things… but you would never do that, would you? - Deserve your dreams
There is no way to get what you want except to deserve it. The easy way out, of course, would be to convince yourself that what you have got is what you want. But if we accept that what is, is, then it follows that what is not, is not. - Equal rights and opportunities.
People may not be equal in their abilities, but it seems to me that the only way to have a fair, balanced and viable community which is both pleasant to live in and worth living in is for everybody to be given “equal rights and opportunities”. Let the more able ones win their places through fair competition in a fair world. - Life is worth living.
I feel that life is worth living. I take joy in living and cherish the opportunity to learn, to experiment, to try to grow and realise our potentials, to become better people. Life is our opportunity to be the best we can be. Let’s not waste it, then. Let’s work, make new things, have fun …. and generally make this world a better one to live in. A better world, however, cannot exist without better people. So, let’s strive to improve ourselves. Let’s try to become more able, responsible, understanding, honest and tolerant people. The way I see it, the road to happiness is through multi-facet self-improvement. - This manifesto…
This manifesto, like anything else in this world of ours, is relative, it is just a reflection of our present understanding of the world around us. So, break any of the “rules” if you feel you should. But first make sure you have something better – or at least as good – to replace it with!
Your comments are welcome.