Reminders

Keri Smith's Rebel Manifesto inspired me, made me think ... made me want to think. She says that her list came about as the result a few month's work while reading Derrick Jensen's Walking On Water, a public education treatise.

I have explored the book, it's coming tomorrow. The Revolution On Hold ... in the meantime I've created a "manifesto" of my own. It's a work in progress. I often remind my fifth grade writers to keep the drafts of their work as a trail of their growth. So I will do the same with my list, amending as I grow.

Manifesto ... I have always had an aversion to that word; smacks of politics. I'm reminded of Benjamin Franklin's quest for "moral perfection" and all his personal rules and expectations. They seemed, to me, a fruitless endeavor ... the checklists and scorekeeping a sure-fire method for madness. The enlightened maxims that became the basis for Poor Richard's Almanac , on the other hand, seem to be more the tone.

For now I'll call my list "Reminders."

So, this is my list. I am not presenting this as a sermon to better the world, I have my hand's full with myself right now. But hopefully it inspires you reflect and create as well!

Reminders

1. Take care of kids.
2. Think before acting and especially before speaking.
3. When unsure of what to do or say, keep listening.
4. Keep learning … ask questions.
5. Teach patiently. Learn patiently.
6. Change perspective.
7. Beware of comfort.
8. Trust instinct.
9. Rather than judge, endeavor to understand.
10. Remember … control is an illusion.
11. Notice.