If you want to change the world then keep reading; if not, thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy the rest of your life, no hard feelings here. I’ll leave some space so you don’t have to view the rest of my writing.

This is why you’re here isn’t it?

Ok, so if you’re here then its because you really care about yourself; your family and friends; the environment and all forms of life; equality and justice; the pursuit of truth and happiness; and love. Its ok if you only care about a few of the things mentioned above, the important part is that you care. That alone separates you from the billions of people that are apathetic to living, it means that you’re special, and if you really want to, then you can truly change the world.

We are caged birds looking to burst through one day, and soar into the horizon, endlessly searching for our happiness while experiencing freedom. Yet, our wings have been clipped; our food supply is limited to only seeds and water; our sleeping schedule is determined for us; our world is a 2-foot steel cast cage with a tiny-hinged door that we despise. Your master determines everything for you; you have no say. You were brought into this world for such a life, when you were born they said …

Welcome to the system!

(Sorry that our welcoming committee wasn’t available to greet you formally. They were off writing senseless tickets to those whom the system labels as deviants. Some were massively advertising overpriced products in order to get your money. Our secretary’s off today, she gets 1 week off each year! – It’s something that you should look forward to as well!

In our system you can work 40 hours a week for a “substantial amount of pay”, you can: eat, sleep, shit while sitting on porcelain commodes, read the newspaper and get the low-down on what we think is important for you to know, pay “small” taxes each year, buy a house under a loan that will take you 30 years to pay, go to our wonderful public schools that look to educate your child on what we feel is important, and if you die your funeral will only cost 3000 dollars (no worries though, we have loans for that too!)

We’re so glad you were able to be part of our system, but then of course if you didn’t participate … you’d be dead. So we’re happy to see that you are with us and not against us; the latter could put you in a lot of trouble … its not a threat or anything though.)

It doesn’t sound very appealing does it? Don’t worry, its something that no one likes and common thought has been that it’s set in place to help us in the long run. This could be true … but a lot of times, its not.

“The system works! So why change it? Why fix something that isn’t broken?”

My friends, you and I both know that the system doesn’t work. That’s why we want to CHANGE the world. We are not trying to change people and force them to become mindless drones that listen to everything we say. (* 1984 – George Orwell – Great book! Read it if you have some free time) We are not trying to extinguish the tribal flame of particular cultures and force them to worship the same God that we do. (*Things fall apart – Chinua Achebe – Great book! read it if you have some free time) We are not trying to destroy something that works in the benefit of everyone; we’re trying to destroy something that doesn’t work.

You see, the system is not just big corporations that provide us “wonderful services” to meet the challenges of our everyday lives. The system is not just a government that attempts to practice a democratic form, though it’s a façade. The system is not just the money that circulates in this country or around the world, which can propel people forward, or utterly destroy them. The system is not just corrupt leaders whom rule their people strictly and impose harsh laws and punishments. The system is not just those “other” – which I consider to be random – people in the world.

Are you ready for this? And we come to the main point of my manifesto …

The system is you

You allow for everything wrong with the world to keep occurring. If something goes wrong, you play the blame game, searching for scapegoats. You are a toxic mimic of society’s depictions, and if they say that African Americans are less than human; That women should not have the right to abort a baby; that homosexuals should not be able to marry; that every Muslim is a terrorist; you agree and believe it as so. You bad mouth big corporations for the way they treat their employees overseas and only pay them a fraction of what you make, yet continue to purchase from them; It’s kind of hypocritical, no? You never question the system, and if you do then you never act upon it.

Your life is great right? So why complain? We have it good here and I’m being nothing but pessimistic right? Your life may be great and you might have everything you’ve ever desired, but how about everyone else around you? Do they not matter? Are their dreams and goals pointless too? And it might be that they don’t give a crap about you, why should they? You’ve never helped them out in anything. They don’t even know you. And you probably feel the same way.

I don’t blame you though.

That’s what you were taught: To care about yourself, friends, and family, but no one else. Maybe if we started to care more, then things would really change. If we started to be faithful to our visions, goals, and dreams, rather than cheat on them with the whore down the street whose name is apathy, things would start to look brighter. Maybe … just maybe …

So how do we do it?

If you want to change the world
Start with the person in the mirror.
Analyze the world’s problems.
Do you contribute to them?
If so, then be part of the solution
Not the problem.

I bet you were expecting something deeply philosophical to follow all the mumble-jumble that this manifesto contains. But sometimes solutions are just that simple. You need to scale down the problems, then scale down the solutions, and then work your way up. Don’t identify with the larger whole, be your individualistic self in a bland society. Work as much as you can, join the revolutions that have started to create a better world. Be the difference, in a world that so desperately seeks it.

You might not be satisfied with my solution. If not, then it’s ok. It means your thinking for yourself for once. I don’t expect you all to agree with me, and I’m fine with that. In fact, I support you in your quest for change, and anything you say, I will listen. We all have different ideas and opinions, maybe if we stopped the mindless chatter, and actually listened for once then something beautiful could occur. A speculation of course …

Caged Birds

Identification

With the larger whole. We are supposed to identify with the larger community. Yet it only works when the community is serving you as well. We are taught to identify with a larger whole which is not us. (we lost a lot of refineries in Katrina .. how much longer do you thing we are going to be in Iraq .. OUR troops) we are taught to identify with the system. We’re taught that “we” are doing this. Yet I’m not doing anything, I actually oppose the organizations that are doing IT. Our lives depend on the system that is expoiting them. The system is abusing and destroying us, yet from early on we are taught to identify with it, instead of identifying it.

Toxic Mimics

If you want to change the world.
Start with the man in the mirror.
Look at all of the problems in the world
Do you contribute to them?
Start to be part of the solution, not the problem.

Its not to say that not performing certain acts will change the world. You know that bad things are going on, maybe the mass production of products, with unsafe working conditions, for little pay. Do you promote this? Or do you act as a counter culture. Do you not buy from them in order to contribute to the solution? You are part of the solution, if you so choose to be. Look for what you want to eat, and alternate ways of living life. You will see that getting to your solution is easier because you already know how to solve the problem, so you can help other people help you to solve the problem. Live your life in accordance to your views; be faithful. We need to scale down the problems, and scale down the solutions, and then work your way up.