by Pace and Kyeli
THE FREAK REVOLUTION MANIFESTO
THE WORLD WILL NOT BE CHANGED BY THOSE WHO FIT IN.
THAT LEAVES YOU.
www.freakrevolution.com

Freak, (n). Alternative. Misfit. Outcast. Visionary. World-changer.
Revolution, (n). A drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.
2 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

The Freak Revolution Manifesto
Text copyright © 2009 Pace and Kyeli Smith
Illustrations copyright © 2009 Martin Whitmore
Some rights reserved. This work is released under the Creative Commons Attribution License (by). This license allows you to freely copy,
distribute, transmit, modify, and adapt this work as long as you credit Pace and Kyeli Smith and/or Martin Whitmore, but not in any way
that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work.
See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ for details.
Design by Megan Elizabeth Morris (www.thatideablueprintgirl.com)
3 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

to Chris Guillebeau
Thank you for inspiring us and many others.
4 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

A CAll to Arms HeArt middle of the night. He wants goes downstairs, intending to
to be a good husband but he answer some emails, but ends
A young boy gets called names doesn’t really know what that is. up weeping at the kitchen table,
by his classmates. His eyes fill His wife says she’ll leave him if BlackBerry in one hand and
up with tears, and they tease he doesn’t start spending more scotch in the other.
him for being a wimp. He wipes time with the kids, and God
off the tears, narrows his eyes, knows, he wants to. But the When did we lose touch with
and locks a part of himself away. whole of Western society tells each other? When did we lose
him he’s a failure if he doesn’t touch with our hearts? When
A teenager dies, beaten to death work hard and bring home a did we lose touch with the awe
because she’s gay. paycheck, and he’s scared he’ll and beauty of life?
lose his job any day now even
A single mother picks her son When did we forget our souls?
with the extra hours he’s putting
and daughter up from day care. in. He wants his kids to be able
The kids screech and hit each This is not the way we were
to pick him out of a line-up, he meant to live.
other. She screams at them to wants his wife to actually want
stop, nearly wrecking the car. to have sex with him again, he
wants his father to still be alive
A man tosses and turns,
so he could get some advice and
sleepless and terrified, in the
a hug. He gets out of bed and
Listen to your heart.
This is not the way we were meant to live.

The world could use a little work, don’t you think? Doesn’t it feel like muted streaks of grey, like all
our drums are silent?
Listen. Those drums aren’t silent. They beat. They strain to be heard.
You’re not meant to live this way, in a virtual cage with clocks that demand
your attention from birth to death and no time to breathe or dance or sing.
You’re meant to be a rainbow in your very own color scheme. You’re meant to be a raging river, a
shining star, a perfect piece of the Universe, breathing in connection and breathing out harmony.
What happened? What’s wrong? What’s missing?
And even more importantly, how can we heal? How can we heal ourselves, heal each other, and heal
the world?
We’ve searched our hearts and our souls for the answers to those questions.
In this manifesto, we’ll share what we discovered with you.

About us
Who are you people, anyway?
Hi! We’re Pace and Kyeli.
We’re both freaks: Pace is a poly bisexual lesbian kinky pagan transgender unschooler gamer geek,
and Kyeli is a lesbian poly unschooler geeky edgewalker witch.
One afternoon, we were blindsided by the overwhelming desire to take what we love and find a
way to make it into a living. Pace loves to explain things and Kyeli loves to tell stories, so together
we created our business, started our blog, wrote a book, and got ridiculously excited about helping
people.
Then we found an amazing thing: the more we grew, the more we learned, and the more we changed
ourselves, the more we wanted to change the world. We took our knowledge and our passions,
mushed everything together, and started the Freak Revolution. We’re now helping freaky people
change the world by teaching connection, personal growth, communication, and empowerment.
We hope you join us - we can’t do it alone.
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tAble of Contents
PArt I: W HAt ’s Wrong
WItH tHe World?
PArt II: HoW We CAn HeAl
What’s Wrong with the World?
A Revolution of Ideas
This is Your Paradigm
PArt III: reAl lIfe
Connect with Yourself
The Control Paradigm World-CHAngers
Connect with Each Other
The Connection Paradigm
World-Changers Come in All
Connect with the World
What’s Wrong with the World, Sizes
Reprise Connect with the Infinite
Freaky Revolutionaries
Wish #3: A Paradigm Shift Disconnect from the Control
Paradigm ACknoWledgments
resourCes

Part I: What’s Wrong WIth the World?

W HAt ’s Wrong WItH
Who is responsible for these
tHe World? things?
What is wrong with the world? Here are some common answers To break it down:
to this question:
Here are some common answers: • criminals are responsible for
• “Greedy capitalists are violence
responsible for pollution,
• politicians are responsible for
because they’re the ones who
war
• violence build the smoke-belching
factories that ruin the • criminals or politicians are
environment.” responsible for crime
• war • “Criminals are responsible for • politicians, or the poor
crime.” themselves are responsible for
• crime • “Politicians are responsible for
poverty
• poverty failing to make or enforce laws
to control crime.”
• capitalists are responsible for
pollution
• pollution • “Poor people are too lazy and
deserve to be poverty-stricken.”
• capitalists or politicians are
responsible for greed
• greed • “Poverty is caused by • intolerant and prejudiced
politicians and will be solved if people are responsible for hate
• hate we elect different politicians.”
• “The hate in the world comes
from intolerant and prejudiced
people.”
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Wish #1: Get Rid of All the Jerks magic wish comes true. All the to our perfect world?
bad people are magically rolled
Imagine that you have a magic up in a katamari or something, The world today is a giant bad-
lamp, and you’ve got three wishes and the world is now populated people-making factory, so taking
to change the world. How about entirely with good people. out all the bad people doesn’t solve
this for Wish #1: Just get rid of the problem, because it’ll just
all the jerks who are messing it up Everyone’s happy! Yay! Everything make more.
for the rest of us! Get rid of all the is peaceful and happy and perfect!
criminals, all the bad politicians It worked! The problem with getting rid of
(not the good ones that you the jerks is that we’re living in a
agree with, of course), all the lazy But then... good people start giant jerk-creating factory.
people, all the greedy people, all turning bad.
the prejudiced people, and all the
intolerant people (well, at least the Good people turn to crime.
ones who disagree with you). Good people start to hate.
Good people become violent.
That’ll fix the world’s problems, Good politicians become bad
right? politicians.
Let’s imagine the world after our What’s wrong? What happened
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millions of people lose their
jobs, but you fix that problem by
taxing the rich to give to the poor,
spreading wealth out more evenly.
This increases greed, because the
rich become resentful and the
poor expect even more.
Wish #2: Everybody Wants to be World Leader, with a promise You fight crime and violence by
Rule the World to end violence, war, crime, creating a worldwide police force
poverty, pollution, greed, and hate. with ubiquitous surveillance. But
What’s left after you get rid of all
the bad people? Well, there’s our that actually increases violence,
Okay, so poof! You’re the World
culture and our social systems. because now the police force must
Leader. Not just a world leader,
That’s got to be where the Jerk use violence to subdue dangerous
but The World Leader. The only
Factory is. It’s got to be our criminals and freedom fighters
one.
culture or our social systems that who oppose the new role of the
turn all these good people bad. You make laws to protect the police and their loss of privacy.
So what if you get to be World environment and shut down
A country invades a bordering
Leader and reform all those companies that disobey the laws.
country; what do you do? How
broken systems? Then you’d be This increases poverty because
can you stop a war without
able to fix all the
things that are wrong
with the world,
right?
Get out your magic
lamp and make your
second wish. Wish to
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waging war yourself? How do you maintain world wasn’t with the people themselves,
peace? How do you maintain and it wasn’t with the culture or
You’ve solved some of the ethical business practices? How do social systems. So what does that
symptoms of what was wrong with you maintain any social system? leave? Nothing? Or maybe an
the world, but you haven’t fixed invisible something...
the underlying problems. You set By control.
out to dismantle the Jerk Factory,
but all you did was set up a bunch But you can’t fix the world by Why Do We Have to Work?
of Jerk Traps. You set out to controlling it.
What’s wrong with the world? It’s
reform the culture, but you created something so subtle, something
a culture of fear. The problem runs deeper than
social systems. But where else we take so much for granted, that
could it be? it has become invisible to us. To
You became the problem. You
??
see this invisible thing, we’ll need
turned into the very thing you’re
trying to prevent. You prevented
? to open our minds and question
Wish #3 some very basic assumptions we’ve
war by waging war. You prevented ? been making our entire lives. Let’s
poverty by taking from those with Wish #1 was “Get rid of all the pick one and start there. Take a
abundance. You made such heavy- jerks.” That failed. Wish #2 was deep breath; here we go.
handed laws to prevent crime “Make me world dictator.” That
that the laws themselves became failed, too. You still have Wish #3 People generally work 30-50
crimes against your people. You - what are you going to wish for hours a week. Why?
couldn’t allow freedom, because now?
freedom begets the problems Most people hate their jobs.
you’re trying to solve. And you We’ll tell you what we would wish Even if they claim to like their
certainly failed to put an end to for. But first, we’ll need to look at job, they’d still prefer to work
hate, because your people not only something invisible. less and spend more time with
still hate each other, they now also their families or with some other
hate you. The problem with the world activity they enjoy. But we “have”
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to work, so we force ourselves into Even if this life isn’t the life you • Is progress good?
job-boxes that don’t fit our souls, would choose, why don’t we even
• Is it a good idea to build a
with our every move watched, see it as an option?
fence around my farm to keep
our freedoms revoked, and our
the predators out?
personalities masked - and we
muffle any internal voices that tHIs Is Your • If humanity had no overseeing
question whether this is the way it authority, would there be lots of
has to be. PArAdIgm crime and violence?
This is one example of the
Is this the way it has to be? Since you’re reading this
dominant paradigm. A paradigm
manifesto, you probably have a
is the set of basic assumptions
Well, we need money, right? We more open mind toward these
people make about what’s
need money to buy food and questions. But if you asked a
possible, what’s allowed, and
shelter and other necessities, and random Joe or Jane on the street,
what’s reasonable. Think of it
money doesn’t grow on trees. you’d get a bunch of “Well, duh”s
as a worldview, or a set of ideas
and funny looks.
But wait a second. Food does grow about how things are “supposed
on trees. And trees are shelter. to be.” You know the expression The thing about paradigms is that
Why do we have to work so hard “thinking outside the box”? they’re self-fulfilling prophecies.
to buy things that grow freely out Paradigm is the biggest box They reinforce and perpetuate
of the ground? you can imagine. It’s the set of themselves. In the dominant
questions to which everyone paradigm, the answer to these
Imagine a world where food and would answer “Well, duh” or “Of questions is yes. But the only
shelter are freely available from course that’s the way things are, reason the answer is yes is because
the Earth, and work is an optional what are you, stupid?” Questions of the dominant paradigm. If we
activity to earn money for luxuries. like: lived in a different paradigm – if
That would certainly cut down on • Do you need to make money people believed differently – the
rent and grocery bills, wouldn’t it? to live comfortably? answers might change. It’s like a
14 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

big group of people all leaning aspects of life. Businesses seek children. Political groups fight
on each other. They’re stable, and to dominate the market and for their rights. Scientists seek to
they don’t fall down, but they’re crush the competition. Farmers harness Nature. What is a harness?
not supported by anything but seek to isolate their crops from It’s a device you put on an animal
themselves. If a bunch of people outside influences and engineer to better control it. All these words
stood straight up all at once, the their genes for maximum yield. are control words. Many of these
structure would collapse and a Governments seek power over words have positive connotations,
new one would take its place. And their people. Jealous lovers seek but if you take a closer look at
anyone still leaning would fall to control their mates. Marketers them you’ll see that they are all
down. seek to convince others to buy rooted in the control paradigm.
their products. Bosses seek to
manage their resources, thereby
tHe Control keeping control of those under
them. Parents discipline their
PArAdIgm
The dominant paradigm in
the world today is the control
paradigm. All major cultures
contain pervasive assumptions
of control which affect all
The control paradigm tells us what to do to survive.
But what if we want to live?
15 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

tHe ConneCtIon PArAdIgm
The control paradigm is so pervasive that it’s hard to see around the blinders of its assumptions. But let’s
imagine for a while and see where we can go.
Imagine a world like this: Businesses care about their customers and want to help them. Farmers grow food
in harmony with the ecosystem. Governments seek to aid their people. Lovers love their mates. Marketers
seek permission to offer their products to those who might be helped by them. Workers seek to support their
co-workers. Parents nurture their children. These words are connection words. This is what a connection
paradigm world would look like.
To create this world, all we need to do is each take a few tiny steps toward it. Each step helps make the
world a better place. Each step moves us further from the loneliness of control and closer to the warmth of
connection.
The connection paradigm brings connection with others and connection with ourselves. Isolation is the
whip of the control paradigm; we are more easily controlled when we are alone. But it’s gone too far. We
are lonely. Our hearts cry out for connection, but the control paradigm binds us too tightly. We have even
disconnected from ourselves. We numb our minds with TV, video games, and drugs to drown out the
cries of our starving hearts.
We’ve forgotten what it feels like to live in connection. We’ve lost touch with our
hearts, with our souls, and with each other.
We’re stuck in the control paradigm
because we don’t know a better way to be.

W HAt ’s Wrong WItH tHe World, rePrIse
If we now look at things from a paradigm perspective, we end up with very different answers to the question
“What’s wrong with the world?” Here are some answers from members of the Freak Revolution:
“People seem to be living as though they are asleep...walking along the well-worn
path of all the people who went before them, without taking the time to lift their
heads, look around, and see that they have the power to change course.” - Victoria
Brouhard (www.victoriabrouhard.com)
“A lack of love, honesty, and compassion due to overwhelming unfounded fear and
terrible communication.” - Kate
“Lots of things are wrong with the world, but what is most wrong with it is that it is unfit for
genius. The world default should be ‘Thou shalt kick ass and chew bubblegum’, instead of
‘Keep yer head down lest it be chopped off.’” - Jenny Berger
“Too many inflexible and damaging stories, too many people who believe that culture is
some sort of monolithic entity that doesn’t include them and that they, therefore, have
no ability or responsibility to change.” - KN Gier
“The illusion that we aren’t all in this together, the illusion that
hides that we’re all human together.” - Richard Clark
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“I think we just don’t know how to understand each other anymore, and a lot
of us don’t even try. I think that we keep back far too much trust, because most
people seem to be untrustworthy. I think that we keep our love back, and only
love those we feel are acceptable. I think we have stopped seeing the world as
beautiful, and can only see what’s bad and dirty and wrong, because that’s what
gets all the focus.” - Rachael E. C. Acklin (www.antithete.com)
“If I could drum one thing, just one thing, into the head of every person on earth, it
would be this: THERE IS NO ONE TRUE WAY. No one true religion, no one true
philosophy, no one true relationship style, body size, sexual technique, computer operating
system, educational method, pepper-to-garlic ratio. There might be one true way for
you, personally and individually, but that’s as subject to change as you are. To say and act
otherwise is to cram yourself into a little box that doesn’t fit, making yourself and everyone
around you miserable.” - Heather Freeman (www.fireseastudios.com/livingartist)
“I think it largely boils down to too many people ‘needing’ to be right. All at the same
time. (Another word for this is ‘control’.)” - Christy (twitchinggreymatter.com)
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WISH #3: A PARADIGM SHIFT
Our third wish, if you haven’t figured it out yet, would
be to shift the paradigm from a control paradigm to a
connection paradigm. But we didn’t wait for a magic lamp.
We started a revolution.

Part II: hoW We Can heal

A revolutIon of a violent uprising? Were any
governments overthrown?
IdeAs Were any anti-art monarchs
When you hear the word assassinated? No. The creation
“revolution”, what do you think and transmission of revolutionary
of? Something bloody and ideas fueled the revolution. The
violent? People standing on ideas swept through the dominant
soapboxes and screaming at a paradigm, causing changes that
crowd? A line of angry people continue to ripple through our
with picket signs? lives.
That’s not the kind of revolution A revolution of ideas has two
we’re creating. We’re creating a steps: practice and share.
revolution of ideas.
A world in which everyone talks
The Freak Revolution isn’t like about connection but doesn’t
the American Revolution or the practice connection doesn’t sound
French Revolution. The Freak like a great world to be in, does it?
Revolution is like the Industrial
So let’s put it into practice:
Revolution, like the Renaissance.
Just ideas. World-changing ideas. Connect with yourself, connect
No guns. with others, connect with the
It has happened before, and world, connect with the Infinite.
No violent uprisings. it can happen again. Think
about the Renaissance. When
No protest rallies. the Renaissance swept Europe
and then the world, was there
No bullshit.
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ConneCt WItH Yourself
Ever Met a Miserable World-Changer?
Imagine someone who has changed the world for the better. It doesn’t matter if they’re real or made-
up, just form a clear picture of what they look like and how they act. Imagine the two of you having
lunch together. How would it feel?
Go on, it’ll just take a few seconds. We’ll wait.
Everyone we’ve ever asked to do this imagines a happy person. Not just surface-level happy, but
deeply joyful and at peace with life, the universe, and everything. (If the person you imagined wasn’t
happy, congratulations. You’re a freak; join the revolution.)
Have you ever met a miserable world-changer?
It just doesn’t happen. Unhappy people aren’t effective. Miserable people don’t achieve big goals.
Gloomy people don’t have the motivation to stick with anything long enough to make a real
difference.
So if you want to change the world, first get happy!
Here are some great first steps
to becoming happier...
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1. Dream big. Listen. What Or, if you’re reading this Dream big. It will help you be
would you do if you had no in digital form, say it happy by expanding your limits.
obstacles? What does your out loud. Writing things
heart long for? What do you down and speaking 2. Experiment. Pay close
most want to experience before them aloud gives them attention to your mood at
your time runs out? power. Writing something different times of the day, when
down focuses your subconscious you’re doing various activities, and
Don’t get bogged down by “can’t”s mind on making it happen. when different events happen.
or “shouldn’t”s. Let your dreams You’ll discover solutions and Try new things: try a different
fly free. opportunities you would have sleep schedule for a month or
otherwise missed. two, try different social activities,
Now write it down right here: try different leisure activities,
try a different soap, try different
hobbies, try different diets, try
different ways of dressing, try
spending time with different
groups of friends. Shake things
up! Get out of the ruts you’re in
that you don’t even see.
Keep a journal of how you feel,
and write in it at least once a
day. After you’ve experimented
for a while, go back and look in
your journal for patterns. When
are you happy? When are you
unhappy?
23 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Then do more of what makes you ways to make the negative things
happy and less of what makes you more positive the next time they
unhappy. happen, and then spend some
time focusing on the positive.
If you try this experiment, I
guarantee you’ll be surprised.
People are surprisingly bad at
predicting what will actually make
them happy, but your journal Personal Empowerment People are not born
won’t lie. empowered or unempowered.
In addition to being happy,
It’s something that you can
3. Read a book or a blog another trait that world-
learn and practice. There is no
about happiness. You can find changers share is being
some recommendations in the
gaping chasm between you
empowered. People who
Resources section at the end. and any world-changer you
change the world are movers
admire; you can do anything
and shakers. They stand in
4. Make friends with more happy they have done. Begin with a
people and spend less time with their own power, they face
bunch of little baby steps, and
unhappy people. Happiness their fears, and they get things
you’ll get there.
begets happiness, and the more done.
happiness you surround yourself
with, the happier you’ll be, and
the more happiness you’ll have to Here are some of those baby steps
share with others!
to increase your personal power...
5. Focus on the positive. Make a
nightly routine to reflect on your
experiences of the day. Think of
24 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

1. Treat yourself at least as well else is a good first step toward Resources section at the end.
as you’d treat anyone else. If you reclaiming that power.
catch yourself thinking things 4. Take yourself out on a date.
about yourself like “I can’t do 2. Practice saying no. For just one Most of us spend lots of time
anything right”, “I’m just a waste week, say “no” to every request with everyone but ourselves.
of oxygen”, “I’m ugly”, “I’ll never for a personal favor, unless it’s Even when we’re alone, we’re
accomplish that”, or “I suck”, go of life-threatening importance. not spending quality time with
to a mirror. Imagine that your When anyone asks you for a favor ourselves; we’re working, watching
reflection is another person, and (other than, of course, “Could you TV, reading - absorbing instead
imagine saying each of these please save my life?”), say no. This of being. Taking yourself out on
things to the other person. will prove to you that the world a date - just you, no one else, is a
“You never do anything right.” won’t end if you say no, and will two-fold blessing. It gives you the
“You’re just a waste of oxygen.” teach you on a visceral level that chance to spend good quality time
“You’re ugly.” “You’ll never your personal power belongs to with yourself, as well as giving
accomplish that.” “You suck.” If you and not others. If this sounds you a chance to do exactly what
these statements would be mean terrifying, it’s probably the right you want to do, just for yourself.
and abusive if you said them to thing for you to try. You can do it Spending quality time with
someone else, and if you wouldn’t - it’s just one week! yourself gives you the opportunity
be okay with someone else saying to get to know yourself better -
them to you, then why are you 3. Read a book about and self-knowledge empowers
okay with you saying them to you? productivity. “Productivity” you.
sounds boring and dull, and
Each time you say mean or many books on productivity are 5. Eliminate the word “should”
negative things about yourself, in fact boring and dull, but some from your vocabulary. This
you decrease your personal power, are really about understanding will help you become keenly
because some part of you believes yourself, your patterns, and aware of each time you give up
what you say. Treating yourself at your motivations. You can find your personal power. Here’s an
least as well as you’d treat anyone some recommendations in the example: one day, you might say to
25 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

yourself, on your own, too. Soon you won’t I do matter.” And when those
even miss it - we didn’t use the opinions are honored by others,
“I want to sleep in, but I should word “should” anywhere in this we get the message that others
get up because I have to go to manifesto except in quotes, and value us and respect us.
work today.” we bet you didn’t miss it, eh?
Much of this happens under the
That sneaky “should” is actually 6. Practice having a strong surface, which is why it works
robbing you of your personal opinion. When you find yourself even if you think it’s silly.
power! How would it feel if about to say, “Oh, I don’t care,
instead you said this: we can do whatever you want,”
“I want to sleep in, but I also want
instead pick something - ConneCt WItH eACH
randomly if you have to - and say
to keep my job, so I’ll choose to go “I’d like to do this.” Practice this otHer
to work today because I want that for just one week and you’ll be
more than I want to sleep in.” amazed at what happens. It may Diversify Your Monkeysphere
seem silly and pointless, especially
Doesn’t that feel far more if you’re just choosing randomly One of the most powerful tools
empowering? Instead of instead of actually expressing a for changing the world is the
presenting yourself as a hapless real opinion, but it makes a huge, monkeysphere. Robin Dunbar,
victim of fate, you’re acting as the even transformative difference. an anthropologist, found that
captain of your own destiny. You the size of primates’ brains is
are the one making the choices, When we say that we don’t have directly related to the size of
you are the one choosing to do an opinion, we’re telling ourselves the social groups they form
what makes you most happy. that our opinions don’t matter, (their “monkeysphere”). Based
which in turn tells us that we don’t on the size of a human’s brain,
It’s easier to eliminate “should” if matter. When we state a strong our number is about 150. This
you have a partner to catch you opinion, even if it’s random, we’re means that, though we might
when you slip, but you can do it telling ourselves, “I’m important. meet thousands of people over
26 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

the course of our lives, we’re hard-wired brother is gay” or “I have a friend who is a
to connect with only 150 people at lesbian.” As soon as a gay person is inside your
a time. Those 150 are the people in monkeysphere, the issue of gay rights becomes
our monkeysphere. Anyone outside personal rather than political - and that’s
of our monkeysphere is an abstract when real change begins.
concept, not a real live human we
can empathize with or care about. If you diversify your monkeysphere and
encourage others to do the same, we can
This can heal war, racism, and heal these control-paradigm ills and create a
prejudice. You won’t want to bomb connection paradigm.
someone who’s in your monkeysphere.
You won’t want to take away someone’s rights if Make friends with people from different cultures,
they’re someone you care about. You won’t hurt connect with people who live differently. Be kind
someone for being who they are if they’re your friend. to people you disagree with. Be yourself, and as
others get to know you, they’ll be diversifying their
Look at the gay rights movement. A paradigm shift monkeyspheres, too.
is happening as more and more people can say, “My
Be yourself.
Connect with others.
Change the world.
27 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Communicate Openly and buckle down and get a reality that.” We take away our own
Honestly check. power by focusing on the qualities
of others instead of focusing on
Miscommunication muddies our But if you can push past that our own gifts.
connections. Learning to clear fear (of being hurt, of ridicule, of
the waters of communication being seen, of losing friends) to Reflect on your own strengths
helps you connect more smoothly open up and share your authentic and weaknesses. Look at the
and easily. We don’t often think self, you’ll find that connection people in your life and look for
about communication - we usually will flow. Everyone hungers their strengths and weaknesses.
take it for granted - but you can for connection. Our culture Watch how they incorporate their
improve it like any other skill. encourages isolation, which strengths into their lives. See how
And here’s a secret: learning leads us to buy in to systems of they deal with their weaknesses.
communication also helps you control. To escape control, we Some of them will be strong in
learn personal growth, so you must connect. If we unlock the areas where you have difficulties,
get extra bonus connection with boxes that hide our hearts and and others will have weaknesses
yourself as you practice connecting share ourselves openly and truly, where you feel capable. This gives
with others! we’ll find that we’re not alone you opportunities to learn and
at all. We’ll find heartsisters and to teach, to communicate and to
We could write an entire book heartbrothers everywhere we turn. connect.
about communication (and in fact,
we did), but for now let’s focus on “You always talk about having
the two most important things: Make Personal Growth a Group difficulties keeping track of time,
openness and honesty. The control Project but you’re never late for anything!
paradigm teaches us to keep our How do you do that?”
People often compliment one
hearts in locked boxes. We learn
another, saying “I love how you
that our souls and our dreams “You talk about your terrible
are so optimistic (or happy, or
aren’t important - that we’re naïve temper, but you’re the sweetest
courageous),” and yet in the same
idealist dreamers who need to girl I know. May I ask how you
breath say “I could never be like
28 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

manage your anger?” amazing! I can’t wait to see share yours with them, and you’ll
you achieve all these wonderful both help each other.
“You always make room to help things!”
me when I need it; how can I help Don’t maintain friendships with
you?” Since you’re still reading, you’re eye-rollers because you think you
probably passionate about making can help them or fix them. You
Help others grow and learn, and the world a better place. Imagine can help much more effectively
seek out new ways to learn from sharing this manifesto with each when you’re buoyed up by
them. of your friends. Would they roll encouragement than when you’re
their eyes and say “Those are some drained by cynicism. It’s difficult
pretty big ideas, but it’ll never and painful to cut ties with
Find Fabulous Friends
work”? Or would they be moved friends who drain you, and it’s
While you’re engaged with the to tears, jump up and down also scary to reach out and make
long, challenging, and rewarding excitedly, and ask “Where can I new friends who support you, but
work of changing the world, you’ll sign up?” it’s worth it.
need some good friends sharing
the journey with you. You need more of the up-and- Powerful world-changers
down-jumpers in your life, and surround themselves with other
You’ll need friends who will lift fewer of the eye-rollers. The eye- powerful world-changers.
you up (and whom you can lift rollers are poisonous and will sap
up in return), not people who will your energy and motivation. The
bring you down. Imagine telling up-and-down-jumpers will share
each of your friends about your their enthusiasm with you, you’ll
lifelong goals and dreams. How
would each of them respond?
Would they say “That’s sounds
nice, but it’s pretty impractical”?
Or would they say “That’s
29 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

ConneCt WItH tHe We teach. We paint. We act. We Maybe an hour for a first draft?
become public speakers. We make Then do that a hundred times and
World movies. We sculpt. We make music. you have 40,000 words - the first
That’s all there is to it. Connect We write books, we write blogs, and draft of your first novel. If you spent
with yourself and share your true we write manifestos. just one hour a day working on your
heart with others, and the world book, you could be finished with
We create art that awakens the mind, the first draft in three and a half
will change. The control paradigm
moves the heart, and stirs the soul. months, edit it for a few months,
will shatter in the face of our
combined authentic connection, then self-publish using print-on-
In today’s world, anyone can demand technology. You could
and our future will be up to us, not be famous! Anyone can create
anyone else. write, edit, and publish your book in
something great that moves less than a year from today!
millions of people. Take a book, for
Some of us, however, are called
instance. How long would it take
to connect with more than 150
you to write 400 words? (That’s
people. We can’t do that by
about one page of this manifesto.)
making thousands of friends
because they won’t all fit inside our
monkeyspheres, so we find other
ways.
What’s stopping you?
What else could you do?
30 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

ConneCt WItH tHe But even then, even in the darkest And in experiencing oneness,
nights and the heaviest rains, we we’ve come full circle, back to
InfInIte feel it. connecting with yourself. It’s
Bring yourself to stillness. Listen. an upward spiral. Connect with
We’re deeply connected on a yourself, connect with others,
Be calm. Open your heart, connect
spiritual level, underneath the connect with the world, connect
with your soul.
noise of control, the blanket of with the Infinite, connect with
There’s a deeper call, underneath fear, and the illusion of isolation. yourself...
the outer drive to connect with We may have lost the ability to
others. There’s a reason our souls sense it directly, but deep down, Embark on the journey with love
hunger for connection, why we in our hearts and in our souls, we and openness, and let your heart
balk and chafe under such heavy remember. lead the way.
chains of control.
By journeying on any spiritual
We are connected. path, we seek and find
reconnection. Soul-connection
We are all one. and spirituality - with or without
religion - lead us to the experience
We close ourselves off. We shut of oneness.
ourselves down and disconnect.
We’re raised in a turbulent sea
of fear and control, and our tiny
little soul boats can’t even see each
other’s sails for the storm.

dIsConneCt from spirituality, public school that screen, poisoning your heart. The
teaches kids to conform and obey, media focuses on tragedy, glorifies
tHe Control the food industry that disconnects disaster, and encourages us to live
PArAdIgm us from nature, control-based in terror. Fear your neighbors, fear
copyright laws, the societal norms your officials, fear your family, fear
We talk a lot about connection, that tell us who we can and can’t your life.
and since we want to shift into be. Say no. Opt out. Opting out of
a connection paradigm, that’s even one of these systems changes Being pummeled with bad news
unsurprising. But there’s also the world by showing others that all the time damages us, even
power in disconnection, and you they have a choice, too. when we don’t notice it. How can
have the power to disconnect we live with hope, how can we
from the control paradigm. Choose to live your life differently, dance through life with joyous
and you start a revolution simply steps when we’re bombarded with
We’re taught that the world works by being yourself. fear? Steeping ourselves in this
in certain ways, and that to be negativity keeps us from focusing
part of the “real world”, we have on the positive.
no choice but to participate, to Opt Out of the News
play the same games everyone else What can you do? You can
You turn the news on. Murder in
plays. opt out of the news; there’s no
your neighborhood, theft in your
city, crime all around you - all of requirement to watch or listen.
This is a lie. You can choose to opt You’ll be far better off without
which you are powerless to do
out. it - and when something actually
anything about. People objectified,
developing complexes that will important happens, you’ll still
Television that numbs our minds, know. People will talk about it and
news that tells us to live in fear, haunt them for the rest of their
lives, passing them on to you at it will seep through, and then you
the 9-to-5 job culture that stifles can choose to either take heed or
us, politics that disempower no additional charge. Officials
full of lies spouting through the ignore.
us, religions that put chains on
32 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Sloughing off the news enables forget the pain in our lives for just Turn off the TV and connect with
you to take control of your life and a little while, flipping channels your life. You only get the one.
your emotions on a level unknown as a form of self-medication and
to most people. Once the constant tuning out.
Opt Out of the Job Culture
bombardment of negativity is
muted, you’ll be empowered to But what if, instead, you filled that Before you know how to read or
focus on the things that really time with activities that enriched tie your shoes, you’re off to school.
matter to you. you, educated you - things that You spend 13 years, day in and day
genuinely entertained you and out, doing what others tell you to
nourished you? do, being shoved into boxes and
Opt Out of TV
molds. You get out of school, get a
How would you fill the empty
What could you do with an extra job, and spend the next fifty years,
hours?
hour a week? An extra hour a day?
What could change in your life? Writing that elusive novel.
Starting a business. Singing.
TV bombards us with negativity
Playing with your children.
- and not just the news.
Spending time with your lover
Commercials create needs we
or your friends. Spending time
didn’t previously have. The media
with yourself. Having deep
sets physical and emotional
conversations that spur epiphanies
standards most of us can’t ever day in and day out, doing what
and growth. Long-neglected
reach, creating a rift between others tell you to do, being shoved
hobbies. That project you never
who we are and who we feel we into boxes and molds. Eventually
seem to have time for, that relative
have to be. Unable to meet these you retire, and then and only then
you keep wishing you knew better.
impossible standards, we end can you enjoy life. When you’re
Those dusty books on the shelf.
up spiraling into depression and 65.
Your soul.
hopelessness. We wind up sitting
in front of the TV hoping to Fuck that.
33 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

You can follow your dreams and allow that? No, of course not. So
listen to your heart - starting now. why would you let a total stranger
You can start your own company, write the laws that rule your life?
own your own business, do what
you love and love what you do. What if we could change the
You can travel the world with only world into a world that doesn’t
a backpack. You don’t need higher need politics?
education, formal education, or a
degree. You don’t need huge start- If we all lived in community and
up capital or years of experience or connection with one another and
thousands of followers or anyone’s with ourselves, we could certainly
approval but your own. You can come up with a better solution
find a way to make it work on than this.
your own terms. Why do a bunch of old men get
to dictate my life from on high? If everyone opted out of politics,
Think outside the box. The box is They don’t know me and I don’t who would run the country? Who
getting full, anyway. know them. They don’t have my would run the world?
best interests at heart - they can’t!
They aren’t in my generation or We would. Together.
Opt Out of Politics
my social group; we have nothing
Politics is a game within a game, in common. Why are they
all within the current paradigm. authorized to kill or wage war on
It’s not the only way to get things my behalf? I don’t want that.
done, but it is the only way most
people know. We get stuck in the Imagine a total stranger running
familiarity of what we know, even up to you and asking if they
if it’s broken. could take care of your baby, your
mother, your sibling. Would you
34 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Opt Out of Religion your eyes, and look inward. Breathe.
Feel your connection to the Divine.
At the heart of religion, we find It’s there, waiting for you to pay
spirituality. If religion blocks you attention to it, to open your heart
from spirituality, it’s possible to and your soul.
sneak past religion to reach the
sacred treasure that it guards. Can you hear it?
Spirituality is your personal,
individual experience with the
Divine. Step-by-step instructions
are not available. No one can dictate ‘til their spirits fade. They are
your spirituality to you. No one can forced to sit at desks, be quiet, do as
tell you what you will find when you they’re told regardless of personal
look inside your heart. Opt Out of Public School
boundaries, learn as they’re taught
We’re born full of joy and wonder. regardless of abilities or learning
When religious leaders teach you
As babies, we seek learning as our styles, 8-10 hours a day for at
that the only way to connect with
highest form of pleasure; we delight least 13 years. They’re medicated
the Divine is through their religion,
in everything we take in. We devour if they have trouble sitting still all
they’re lying. That’s control. They’re
the world with our senses, tasting day. They’re subjected to cult-like
trying to take away your power, your
and touching, inhaling and poking behavior and dog-eat-dog groups,
birthright to be connected with the
and prodding. But before we know cutthroat competitiveness, teachers
Divine. They’re telling you that you
it, our babies are school-aged. Enter who abuse power, peers who abuse
aren’t qualified to listen to your own
public school. each other, unrealistic expectations,
heart. and demented role models. There’s
Public school takes our bright, no tolerance for difference, no room
They’re wrong.
creative children and slowly for personal expression.
encloses them in ill-fitting molds
Sit down in a quiet place, close
35 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Is it any wonder our kids suffer we’re ridiculed and our choices are shipped to us.
from depression, addiction, and disrespected.
suicidal tendencies? You can opt out of the food
Many of us have “hereditary” industry. You can be an omnivore,
You don’t need a degree or higher diseases, conditions passed on vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, or
education to do a better job through our parents from their raw. You can slow down. You can
schooling your own kids than the parents on up. But if we look at prepare your own food. You can
public schools. Kids are eager to our diets, we might see something take time to think about what
learn, easy to teach, and usually interesting. If I eat what my you put into your body and how
desperate to spend more time with parents eat, the chances of me it affects you. You can drive down
their parents. We have options; we having the same health issues the street, passing by restaurant
don’t have to ever send our kids my parents have is considerably after restaurant, thinking to
to public schools. We can take higher - and even higher still if yourself, “That one’s not for me.
them out if they’re my lifestyle is similar. We often That one’s not for me.”
already in. They’re don’t even think about the food
our children. It’s we eat. We eat by default, we eat
Other Opt-Out Options
our responsibility for emotional reasons, we eat as
to protect them and a social activity. We eat without Opt Out of the Economy
guide them to the considering our choices.
best of our ability. You can opt out of the economy.
The food industry is a control You can barter. You can participate
paradigm system. We are far in a gift economy. You can join
Opt Out of the Food Industry removed, in physical distance and or create a close-knit community
emotional distance, from the food that takes care of its members
When we’re little, we eat what
we eat. We lose our connection to without the need for money.
we’re fed. Few of us have any say
in our diets ‘til we’re pre-teens or the earth; we have no connection
with the plants and animals that Opt Out of the Grid
older. Often, if we stray too far
from the diets of our families, were processed, packaged, and You can opt out of your country’s
36 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

electrical power grid. You Opt Out of Societal Norms Society tells you there’s something
can reduce or eliminate your wrong with you if you’re an adult
Society tells you to fit in and not
dependence on electricity. You can who doesn’t experience romantic
rock the boat.
use more solar or wind power. feelings or sexual desire.
Society tells you to be
Opt Out of Copyright Society tells you to speak when
heterosexual.
you’re spoken to, go out of your
Copyright laws are restrictive
Society tells you that you can be way to avoid offending others, and
and control-based. You can
either male or female. There is dress appropriately.
choose to share your work more
freely by putting your work in no third option and you cannot
Society tells you to put your head
the public domain or by using a change from one to the other.
down, be quiet, and obey the rules.
Creative Commons license. For
example, this manifesto is released Society tells you to have only one
under the Creative Commons romantic or sexual partner at a
“by” license, which means that time.
everyone can distribute it freely,
modify it, create derivative works
based on it (e.g. translations), even
sell copies of it, as long as they Fuck society.
credit the original authors.
Be creative! Be different. Be a freak.
Be yourself.
What other control paradigm
systems do you see around you?
What can you do to opt out?
37 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Part III: real lIfe World-Changers

World-CHAngers moving book or a life-changing number of people - thousands,
presentation creates a one-way millions, even billions - you can
Come In All sIzes indirect connection. With these do it.
For this revolution to succeed, we indirect experiences, you feel a
connection between yourself and The teacher who stands on a
need two types of world-changers:
the author, speaker, or teacher, but podium in front of hundreds
• A few people spreading they don’t have a deep connection of students and talks about her
revolutionary ideas to large with you in return. transition from male to female,
groups the blogger who blogs openly
Personal experiences create a small about his two wives and their
• A lot of people spreading number of deep connections. happily open marriage and well-
revolutionary ideas to small Indirect experiences create a large adjusted kids, the author who
groups number of one-way connections. writes about her abusive past
Take a deep breath. Take a and her journey to recovery, the
The control paradigm tells us that singer who comes out as gay,
moment to think about the
we are tiny insignificant cogs in the actor who talks about being
events that have changed your
a big whirring machine where no vegan - all of these people are
life or your worldview in a big
one cares and no one will ever world-changers. They’re opting
way. What caused them? A
notice us. That is a terrible lie. We out of control paradigm systems.
conversation you had? A book you
are brightly shining stars caught They’re living their lives openly,
read? An experience you shared
in a murky fog. All we need is authentically, and in alignment
with a friend? A speaker who
the courage to shine and the with their hearts. They share by
moved you? A class you attended?
knowledge that we can. connecting with others, loudly and
The events that change our lives indirectly. In so doing, they spread
If you feel called to shine, the revolutionary idea that you can
are either personal or indirect.
SHINE! choose to live your own way.
A long, intense conversation
with a friend creates a two-way If you feel called to reach a large
personal connection. A deeply If you feel called to reach a
39 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

small number of people more and personally. In so doing, they When you live the change you
personally, you can do it. spread the revolutionary idea that want to see, when you follow your
you can choose to live your own way. dreams, you don’t need to pass
The mom who stays home to pamphlets around or shout on
unschool her kids, the man who Gandhi had it half right when he soapboxes or march around with
loves bowling with his friends said, “Be the change you want signs. Those are control paradigm
and is openly gay, the third- to see in the world.” The second tactics - yelling at people to try to
gendered person who takes care half is “connect with others.” If you force them to change.
of stray dogs and is the sweetest go off and live on a mountaintop
soul you’ve ever met, the raw and never talk to anyone - even if All you need to do is be your
foodist who has a home garden you’re being the change you want authentic self and connect
and invites her friends over for to see in the world - you’re not with others. That’s the kind of
potlucks - all of these people are changing the world. But if you revolution we can get behind, the
world-changers. They’re opting come down from time to time kind of revolution we’re building.
out of control paradigm systems. and connect with people so they
Welcome.
They’re living their lives openly, know you’re living your perfect life
authentically, and in alignment on a mountaintop, and if you tell
with their hearts. They share by them that they can follow their own
connecting with others, quietly dreams and live their own perfect
lives, too? That’s revolutionary.
40 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

freAkY revolutIonArIes
Here are the stories of some freaky revolutionaries of various sizes, shapes, and flavors.
Christi Sanchez Kira
(kiramor.livejournal.com/profile)
Christi chose to opt out of the public
school system and unschools her two Kira is a vegetarian geek,
little girls. She spends her days playing actor, and musician. She
with her girls and helping them follow studies Buddhism and Feri,
their dreams. She believes that learning and is a priestess and teacher
happens naturally and relishes her job as to her neopagan community. She cooks, sews,
a tour guide to their journey. knits, and is a budding gardener.
Leonie Allan Megan Elizabeth Morris
(www.goddessguidebook.com) (www.thatideablueprintgirl.com)
Leonie is a Goddess Guide. She uses Megan is an idea generator.
oracle cards, art, and creativity to help She’s a brilliant mastermind
people find and connect with their own bent on brainstorming and
unique spirituality and remember the making colorful mind maps and using her
Divine within themselves. endless energy and boundless enthusiasm to
encourage people to succeed wildly and think
outside of boxes.
41 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

Johnny B. Truant Pam Slim
(www.johnnybtruant.com) (www.escapefromcubiclenation.com)
Johnny is a sweet and funny guy Pam is a deeply spiritual person,
who opted out of the news many a martial artist, and the mother
years ago and is much happier for of three kids. She helps people
it. He helps small business owners escape from corporate jobs and
learn how to do technical stuff and follow the calling of their hearts.
makes people laugh.
Seth Godin
Naomi Dunford (www.sethgodin.com)
(www.ittybiz.com)
Seth brought the connection
Naomi is a funny, intelligent, paradigm to marketing. Before
and snarky marketing expert and Seth, the dominant marketing
homeschooler with a shaved head and paradigm was interruption
a foul mouth. She helps people build marketing (control your customers), but he is
passionate businesses that change the world, one ittybiz shifting it toward permission marketing (connect
at a time. with your customers).
What's your story?
How will you change the world?
42 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

ACknoWledgments
These are the people who helped us along the tumultuous path of writing this manifesto.
We are deeply grateful!
• Megan Elizabeth Morris for this delicious design, and Martin Whitmore for this amazing
artwork
• Kira, Amanda Braman-Ray, Tanya Martin-McClellan, and Ratha Grimes for editing
• Nathalie Lussier, Kate, Naomi Dunford, and Marissa Bracke for their contributions to the first
draft
• Victoria, Kate, Jenny, KN, Richard, Rachael, Heather, and Christy for graciously allowing us to
quote them and for saying such inspiring things in the first place
• All the members of the Freak Revolution for being awesome and for being yourselves
43 The Freak Revolution Manifesto

resourCes
We maintain a list of recommended books, blogs, links, and what-to-do-next steps at
www.freakrevolution.com/resources/
If this manifesto has touched you or inspired you, please leave us a comment there.
It would mean a lot to us.
With love,
Pace & Kyeli
44 The Freak Revolution Manifesto