Thursday, April 30, 2015

A Manifesto


The following is based in large part on the moral and political thinking of Frank Buchman and Mahatma Gandhi:

Men are not guided by intellect but by the heart. Far too many put on the cloak of religion and prate about morality, which is dangerous in an age in which we have an overweening capacity for destruction and have grown more cruel.

Modern civilization has become a a positive menace to the moral growth of mankind. Capitalism has become complacent and corrupt. The pace of living is obstructive to the highest goals of humanity. Meanwhile political institutions have become mere instruments for the pursuit of the basic human instinct to garner power.

Life is a mission that we dare not squander. We have a duty to mankind to attempt to do good in this moment of moral and political crisis. Satisfaction lies in the effort rather than in the attainment of that which we should be. We reach for the bright and morning star and that mere act of reaching is what matters. Whether we actually touch the pole star we keep in view is scarcely the issue. This is no introverted quest. The pursuit of salvation is a form of selfishness.

The secret of life is selfless service in the attempt to emancipate humanity. Honour, unlike morality, is more positive than negative. We should be unafraid of the consequences of our actions. The world is no mere spectacle, it is an arena in which we all play our part.

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