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Connection Manifesto PDF
Connection Manifesto PDF
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Listen. Those drums arent silent. They beat. They strain to be heard.
Youre 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.
Youre meant to be a rainbow in your very own color scheme. Youre meant to be a raging river, a
shining star, a perfect piece of the Universe, breathing in connection and breathing out harmony.
And even more importantly, how can we heal? How can we heal ourselves, heal each other, and heal
the world?
Weve searched our hearts and our souls for the answers to those questions.
In this manifesto, well share what we discovered with you.
About Us
Hi! Were Pace and Kyeli.
Kyeli: Im a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Im freaky, geeky, witchy, and gay; divinely human,
learning how to have faith. I have a fondness for girl singers and piano, and I have many brightly colored tattoos.
Im a storyteller and a gatherer of stories.
Together, were partners in business and in life. We live in Austin, Texas with our amazing son Dru, three cats,
and lots of faeries.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 Connection Revolution. Were now helping people change the world by teaching connection,
personal growth, communication, and empowerment.
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 theyre 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
Lets imagine the world after our Whats wrong? What happened
??
see this invisible thing, well need
turned into the very thing youre
trying to prevent. You prevented
? to open our minds and question
Wish #3 some very basic assumptions weve
war by waging war. You prevented ? been making our entire lives. Lets
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?
couldnt allow freedom, because now?
freedom begets the problems Most people hate their jobs.
youre trying to solve. And you Well tell you what we would wish Even if they claim to like their
certainly failed to put an end to for. But first, well need to look at job, theyd 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
12 The Connection Manifesto
to work, so we force ourselves into Even if this life isnt the life you Is progress good?
job-boxes that dont fit our souls, would choose, why dont 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 youre 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 whats
need money to buy food and questions. But if you asked a
possible, whats allowed, and
shelter and other necessities, and random Joe or Jane on the street,
whats reasonable. Think of it
money doesnt grow on trees. youd get a bunch of Well, duhs
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? theyre 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. Its 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 thats 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, wouldnt it? to live comfortably? answers might change. Its like a
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 its 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.
Weve forgotten what it feels like to live in connection. Weve lost touch with our
hearts, with our souls, and with each other.
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 doesnt include them and that they, therefore, have
no ability or responsibility to change. - KN Gier
The illusion that we arent all in this together, the illusion that
hides that were all human together. - Richard Clark
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 thats as subject to change as you are. To say and act
otherwise is to cram yourself into a little box that doesnt 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)
Everyone weve 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.
It just doesnt happen. Unhappy people arent effective. Miserable people dont achieve big goals.
Gloomy people dont have the motivation to stick with anything long enough to make a real
difference.
Be yourself.
Connect with others.
Change the world.
26 The Connection 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 dont often think self, youll 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 heres 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! well find that were not alone you opportunities to learn and
at all. Well 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 lets 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 youre 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
arent important - that were nave temper, but youre 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
27 The Connection Manifesto
manage your anger? amazing! I cant wait to see If you feel youre helping and
you achieve all these wonderful inspiring your eye-roller friends
You always make room to help things! by connecting with them, thats
me when I need it; how can I help awesome! Keep up the good
you? Since youre still reading, youre work! But if you continually feel
probably passionate about making demotivated and drained when
Help others grow and learn, and the world a better place. Imagine interacting with them, its time to
seek out new ways to learn from sharing this manifesto with each let them go.
them. of your friends. Would they roll
their eyes and say Those are some You can help much more
pretty big ideas, but itll never effectively when youre buoyed
Find Fabulous Friends
work? Or would they be moved up by encouragement than when
While youre engaged with the to tears, jump up and down youre drained by cynicism. Its
long, challenging, and rewarding excitedly, and ask Where can I difficult and painful to cut ties
work of changing the world, youll sign up? with friends who drain you, and
need some good friends sharing its also scary to reach out and
the journey with you. You need more of the up-and- make new friends who support
down-jumpers in your life, and you, but its worth it.
Youll need friends who will lift fewer of the eye-rollers. The eye-
you up (and whom you can lift rollers are poisonous and will sap Powerful world-changers
up in return), not people who will your energy and motivation. The surround themselves with other
bring you down. Imagine telling up-and-down-jumpers will share powerful world-changers, either
each of your friends about your their enthusiasm with you, youll by seeking them out or lifting
lifelong goals and dreams. How share yours with them, and youll others up.
would each of them respond? both help each other.
Would they say Thats sounds
nice, but its pretty impractical?
Or would they say Thats
28 The Connection Manifesto
Connect with the We teach. We paint. We act. We about one page of this manifesto.)
become public speakers. We make Maybe an hour for a first draft?
World movies. We sculpt. We make music. Then do that a hundred times and
Thats all there is to it. Connect We write books, we write blogs, and you have 40,000 words - the first
with yourself and share your true we write manifestos. draft of your first novel. If you spent
heart with others, and the world just one hour a day working on your
We create art that awakens the mind, book, you could be finished with
will change. The control paradigm
moves the heart, and stirs the soul. the first draft in three and a half
will shatter in the face of our
combined authentic connection, and In todays world, anyone can months, edit it for a few months,
our future will be up to us. then self-publish using print-on-
be famous! Anyone can create demand technology. You could
something great that moves write, edit, and publish your book in
Some of us, however, are called
millions of people. Take a book, for less than a year from today!
to connect with more than 150
instance. How long would it take
people. We cant do that by
you to write 400 words? (Thats
making thousands of friends
because they wont all fit inside our
monkeyspheres, so we find other
ways.
Be creative!
Welcome.
39 The Connection Manifesto
Acknowledgments
These are the people who helped us along the tumultuous path of writing this manifesto.
www.connection-revolution.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,