MSE Manifesto


Introduction

Welcome to the MSE Manifesto.

What exactly is the MSE Manifesto? I like to think of it as a rambling list of my personal beliefs and what I believe is right and wrong with the world. I also include how things could be better -- how they should be.

Obviously, these are my personal opinions. Everything I express in this Manifesto is something I truly believe in. Unlike other people who have published similar presentations throughout the centuries, I do not seek to impose my beliefs on others. Read them at their face value; I am not trying to convert anyone. Similarly, if I say something which seems to insult some aspect of yours, please don't take it personally. I have strong feelings about many issues. If it were not for my personal code of ethics, these feelings might manifest themselves in interactions between myself and others; however, I feel it is stupid to be hateful towards someone just because their beliefs differ from mine. These apparent contradictions between what I believe in and how I act should become clear as anyone who personally knows me reads through this.

Nothing I have written in my Manifesto is carved in stone. People change. As they change their beliefs change with them. This is how it is in life. Just because I say I disapprove of something today does not mean I will never approve of it; I simply do not approve of it today. (Is this a confusing concept?)

The MSE Manifesto is very much a work in progress. Its intrinsic nature demands that it be constantly updated to reflect the changes in my personal beliefs.

I want to stress that I am not attempting to alienate anyone, to criticize anyone, or to insult anyone. This is what I believe; I accept the beliefs of others which do not match my own, not impose my own beliefs. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.


Humor and Society

Given the nature of my World Wide Web site, I find it strangely appropriate to begin my Manifesto with a discussion of humor and society. You see, at one time in history, a very long time ago, the two were peaceful entities able to coexist.

As they say, however, that was then, this is now.

Society in general has lost its ability to laugh at itself: it has become entirely too serious. People are so absorbed with themselves that they routinely fail to see exactly how absurd they are behaving.

The nature of humor -- jokes, stories, and the like -- is a direct reflection of how a society perceives itself. Once upon a time, humanity could laugh at various members within itself. It could ridicule some, praise others, and simply ignore the rest. Now, however, those who would point out those members' foibles are branded as horrible, prejudiced people who should be shunned for their behaviors.

The sad fact is that a society which has lost its ability to laugh at itself is no society at all.


To be continued...


Copyright © 1996 MSE |   | Contact MSEnet ]