Manifesto

I feel strongly that a life well lived benefits from clearly-defined, well-written, and deeply-considered purpose. Below please find my manifesto, in the hopes that you might find it of interest, note something within that could benefit you, or, perhaps, even take it as a provocation such that you might write your own.

I ~ Oneself

A gentleperson must first attend to himself. His own physical appearance, aesthetics, health, and grooming, coupled with his mental and spiritual strength, serve as the foundation for all other undertakings. Only when well-rested, in good health, and with a settled sense of existential purpose, can a gentleperson choose his goals, and maintain the discipline to persevere through the sundry problems that present themselves in a well-lived life.

Further, each of us shares responsibility for how others perceive us, and we owe it to ourselves, and our ambitions, to move with superior grace, if we wish others to see us as graceful.

II ~ Intimates

A gentleperson turns his attention to those outside of himself, to chosen loved ones, family, lovers — those in whom so much of ourselves and our hearts are rightly invested. The very essence of being a gentleperson is courtesy, guided by manners, and gentlepeople ought to remind themselves that manners serve the purpose of helping those around us feel simultaneously comfortable and inspired to do more, better, and with considered intention.

All of us benefit from trading in strengths with, and accepting support from, those we love and admire most. Though the embodiment of grace and resilience, we set an example to others, showing ourselves and them worthy of the goals we’ve chosen.

A considered and disciplined life need not eschew our passions — instead, it is within the intentional play between careful curation and wanton wonder that our desire for intimate connection is most well sated.

III ~ Community

A gentleperson has a duty to his chosen community. He sets a tone and creates spaces that are ethical and invigorating; brings dynamic individuals and groups together to create magical, powerful environs; and works towards the service of undertakings bigger than any one of us can do alone.

Intertwined, in this duty, is a gentleperson’s responsibility to ensure that those less powerful than themselves are safe, feel empowered to find their own paths through life, and are given room to discover the satisfaction of hard work for good causes.

We do this, in part, by creating spaces that facilitate progress towards our aspirations, and which reinforce each other’s best traits — and reward wise choices.

IV ~ Posterity

A gentleperson has a responsibility to posterity to create, and facilitate the creation of, objects and systems of beauty, both ephemeral and physical, that outlive us, evoking their aesthetic and conceptual ideals in the minds of those outside his direct relationships. We have some responsibility to do our part for the commons, and improve the greater good.

Through the legacy of the objects, protocols, and beauty we work together to create, may we inspire wisdom, discipline, and grace to those who follow in our elegantly polished shoes.