Manifesto 2007-I


Being the counter culture kind of individual that I tend to be, to boycott New Year’s Resolutions would be oh so predictable. So, bearing that in mind, I have elected to make some resolutions for the new year that lies a mere couple of days ahead on the horizon. Instead of making a couple of changes, I have decided to establish my own New Year’s Manifesto. I like manifestos. The problem, however, is that oftentimes human nature gets in the way of the idyllic ideas – Marx’s Communist Manifesto being a prime example of this. That being said, nothing ventured, nothing gained…

The theme of my Manifesto: inner balance while improving the world. Needless to say, this will involve both internal and external efforts. For the inner, it’s about yin and yang; moderation and indulgence. Essentially it is about finding intrinsic fulfillment while living a life of health and well being, but allowing the self to be notty on occasion. This includes Yoga, a vegetarian diet and meditation, but also the odd letting loose, indulging in those vices that seem oh so taboo these days.

Secondly, to live the mantra espoused by Keats in that “beauty is truth, and truth, beauty”. Translated: make art, share art and exist via all the senses. This also means making an extra effort in my interactions with others by being more aware of the things that I say and attempt to offer positives in the face of the most dire consequences. This also means returning phone calls, for which I am brutally negligent. This means that when I rendezvous with friends that the evening contains creative and sharing elements (and of course litres of the taboo vices alluded to earlier on in this missive).

Lastly is to re-connect with my pagan leanings, indulging my presence more with Nature as well as do my best to conserve our earth and educate others about this. The last six weeks in my classroom I tied everything in my lesson plans to our dire environmental circumstances while pressing the point that every individual can be part of the solution. I opt not to preach, but to empower.

I’m not saying anything new here really as all the facets of my manifesto can be found in a number of resources. Certainly much of this comes from my Buddhist readings (right thinking, right speech, etc.), and the remainder comes from simply acknowledging that I need to focus more on those things that offer solace and joy. What I am doing is essentially putting pinkies to key pad so that I can add to the visualisations I am developing in my meditation practice. Sounds hokey as hell, eh? The fact of the matter is, however, that the Enterprise Culture is killing my family and me, keeping me in the [bad] red causing the stressors that financial issues herald forth, and transplanting visions of false prophets in my mind.

In closing, even if I fail at my manifesto’s design, I hope that some of you out there might pause, breathe and form your own conclusions. Life should be about growth, love, friends and leaving things in better shape than we found it. Each of us is our own revolution resolution…