The 10 Principles of Maniphesto
This is an old list of our principles. See the current updated list here.
1. Patriarchy
Hierarchy and Fatherhood are indispensably woven into all life and reality. A good patriarchy is essential to human thriving.
Masculinity is the qualities which are admired the most in men. Our fellowship aims to build masculine men.
3. Know Thyself
Commitment to regular practice such as prayer is essential. Deepening practice involves engagement with religious tradition.
We support men in establishing a lifelong commitment to one woman as a container for personal growth.
5. Direct Communication
Our collaboration is built on clear and direct communication with complete integrity.
Men take personal responsibility for making things better – starting with themselves.
7. Mutual Commitment
Women give birth to boys, but men are made through journeying alongside other men. We commit to each other’s success in a fellowship to guide and mirror each other to greater maturity.
8. Men Lead
Growth in men is accompanied with increasing responsibility – for themselves and others, meaning taking on the burden of leadership.
9. Action
Joint action in the world is the optimal path to betterment for men. Working together towards shared goals for the greater good leads to a life of meaning, purpose and bonds of friendship.
10. Holistic
Our work addresses man as a whole, not as a collection of parts. Man is an inseparable unity of body, mind, and spirit.
[…] Principle #7 in the 10 Principles of Maniphesto). As an Orthodox Christian and one of the co-founders, I base my work on a Christian cosmology. […]
I gotta say, when I read this, I am a step further away from joining your event in August. It lies somewhere between cliché buzzwords and a cult whose deeper motives are hardly discernable. You guys can do better than that to attract participants. If that is what you want.
Sorry to hear that is your perspective. The 10 principles were the result of a process and discussion in our community. If they are unclear, perhaps it is because there were many people involved and we needed to compromise. As for our motives, we are on a mission to restore men and masculinity in our society. You are correct that our main goal is not “attracting participants” – that would entail becoming experts in online marketing, something we are terrible at. So our approach is to work with the men who share and are inspired by our vision.
reading this makes me very happy. I appreciate the work put in this text especially the masculine/feminine balance (hierarchy & do-ocracy, masculine & holistic).
If I had to challenge one thing, it’s the notion of “direct communication with complete integrity”.
It implicitely denies the reality of the unconscious. Sometimes our nervous system just takes over in some ways we can’t control. And sometimes just saying outloud what i’m thinking is not the best thing to do.
So I don’t think reaching “complete” integrity is possible but only to have a strong intention for honest & courageous communication.