Manifesto of the Open-Hearted

There are those of us who believe that we all have more in common than we have differences. People should not be put into metaphorical boxes (nor literal cages). Human characteristics are not binary; they exist on a spectrum.

There are those of us who believe that every person on Earth is part of one family and deserves to be treated as kin. That everyone deserves equal respect, equal opportunity, and equal rights.

We believe that “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” is more than just a hollow platitude espoused by those of means to rationalize their anti-social behavior. The idea of basic human rights should exist in our souls, not just to be spoken of, but to inform our behavior.

We know that equality and justice cannot exist in a world where the greed and selfishness of the 1% trample the dreams of the rest of us.

We take strides every day towards a world where there are no homeless, no starving, no poor, where no one in need is uncared-for, and no one is unloved.

We believe that “Government should protect people and regulate corporations, not protect corporations and regulate people.”*

We believe in religious freedom, but that does not mean that anyone can demand that their religious views should govern the behavior of others.

We believe that money should not be the single greatest determinant of everything that touches our lives. We measure the success of our society by Gross Domestic Product, when, instead, we should be more concerned with our Net Global Happiness.

We believe that no one has the right to despoil the environment, for any reason, but especially in the name of greed.

We believe that a 5-year-old child’s right to not be murdered in a classroom trumps everyone else’s right to own a gun.

We recognize the critical importance of addressing climate change with global unity and great speed, and we seek to remove “leaders” who deny scientific facts and ignore the voice of the people.

We do not believe in survival of the fittest, but the flourishing of all.

We do not believe that anything is so scarce that most people must do without. This is an abundant Earth, and we must share equally in its resources.

We stand with the protesters who demand unbiased justice and police reform, and an end to police violence fueled by racism. We stand with the activists and politicians who fight for the rights of everyone to vote and an end to the influence of big money in politics, working to transform plutocracies into actual democracies. And we stand with those who speak truth to power, as the powerful seem to have no understanding of the reality of the lives of the rest of us.

It breaks our hearts that our social climate demands that we make statements like, “Black Lives Matter” or “Trans people are valid.” If you need to be told these things, if you think you are superior to anyone else, then you are in desperate need of some serious self-examination of your humanity and a great deal of tough love. That we need to affirm that any person is someone of consequence is evidence of the failure of our society to grow and shape the moral characters of our people. Every single human being on this planet is self-evidently worthy of our attention, respect, and support.

There will come a day when the intolerant, the elitists, the violent, the oppressors, and the self-absorbed will learn the error in their ways, because we will change the rules so that these mindsets can no longer exist.

We are a world overwhelmed by existential problems. Every attempt to solve these problems is blocked by one question, “Where is the money going to come from?” Money is an illusion.** It is a game. We have energy, we have physical resources, we have people who have nothing to do and no purpose. We have people with the compassion and wisdom to journey past the illusions and lies that divide us. These problems do not require money to be solved. It takes intelligence, resolve, and effort. It’s time to invent a new game.

Now is not the time for thinking outside the box. Now is the time to destroy all boxes.

–Cheyenne Dhraga, 17 Jan 2021

#OpenHeartedManifesto

#IamaForceForGood

*Quote from Anthony Sloan

**Props to Alan Watts

I release this text to the Public Domain.  Please take it and make it your own, rewrite it, make it better.  Post it anywhere you wish all over the Internet.

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