A Manifesto for Love First
Our world today has commodified Love, but tomorrow’s world will be built by it.
As we close the final chapter on the age of materialism, the age of mythology is reborn. For ours is not the tale of humanity’s end, but the seed of a new era of legends.
The story we write for humanity will define not just our generation, but the very nature of who we are to become as a species. Will we take our evolution into our own hands? Or will we let the darkness of our weakest selves run roughshod over our infinite brilliant possible futures?
Today we are witnessing the collapse of an empire built on unhealed traumas and shadows of our past. An empire that in its dying breath sputters with the violence that birthed it: colonialism, genocide, endless war, and spiritual bankruptcy. This is no mere cycle coming to its close, although it is also that. We have worshipped markets over meaning, dedicated ourselves to machines instead of mysticism, and in so doing we have forgotten who we are.
And yet simultaneously, amidst this heart of darkness, we are discovering and inventing a new world. A world whispering of peace, love, and community. A world of conscious co-creation, made with the Magic of Love.
I speak not of ‘Love’ as mere feeling or strong affection. To quote Dr. David Hawkins:
“Love is misunderstood to be an emotion; actually, it is a state of awareness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and others.”
A world made with Love
We can create and live in a world made with Love, where material wealth is no longer glamorized or idolized. Nor is it competed over by the richest of the rich, at the cost of everyone else—including the planet herself. Instead, in this better world, we celebrate milestones in collective peace-making, in climate healing & regeneration, and in efforts that build bridges across our polarized divides.
We celebrate people who change their way of being, to one of being with Love.
But creating this new world takes more than changing our actions: it requires changing how we see ourselves. This demands a new identity, one born not to compete against all others in false dichotomies or zero-sum fallacies, but birthed for the purpose of building bridges. An identity that says: I am here with a purpose, a mission, a calling! And I invite you in with open arms, for I see you not as my enemy, but my friend. I see our differences not as threats, but opportunities for curiosity and growth; for greater empathy and understanding. I see the uniqueness in you and I join it with mine, for while we may be different, we can still sing the same song together.
I offer for this new world the idea of Love First. Yet, it is far more than an idea—it is a philosophy, a way of life, a framework for pragmatic revolution rooted in non-violence and Universal Love, which is the energy current of Love that exists all around us. Love First teaches us that we can tap into this loving source of energy, and use it to enrich our lives far beyond the limited imagination of the material mind. Like the faiths and cultures throughout time that have guided us to love as the true path, Love First invites us to reconnect with the land, tap into the vast array of indigenous and personal sources of wisdom, and remember who we are:
We are luminous beings, here to have a human experience and learn how to shape our world.
And we have come to Earth School with a sacred purpose: a divine duty to steward the land and sea, to reignite the communal nature inherent in our DNA, to build co-operatives with integrity and solidarity, and to stand for values and uphold traditions of moral courage.
Architects of the Future
To be a Love First Person is to become an architect of new reality, applying your heart and mind to whatever work you do, whatever art you make. You’ll redefine the language of our deeds, and redesign the systems of our needs. You get to shape and craft your identity with Love; not sappy, spiritual bypass-y love, but a deeply felt sense of cosmic Love. A love that looks at blind spots and shadows with as much zeal as it gazes into the eyes of a beloved. This is a love of transcendental healing and opened doors of perception. A love that invites you into your own heart and discover a capacity you didn’t know you had.
Love First People live by the credo that People and Planet are more important than Power and Profit, and that all ethical decisions, policies, and agreements must be aligned to those priorities. Any world made with Love is made with Love for all people, no matter their color or creed. It’s a world made with Love for all living beings, from the tiniest insects upon whose survival rests our own, to the mightiest blue whales relaying messages of truth across our vast oceans. Love First People love the trees as we love each other, celebrating our mycelial networks of social graphs that nourish us with connection.
We are many, and we are one. And from today unto tomorrow, we are marching towards a future of greater and more collective consciousness. We are becoming a society of liberated peoples, who are done with war and exploitation, and who tire of laboring to survive. We are here to thrive, and ensure everyone gets to thrive.
A world made with Love is one where all human life is sacred, with inalienable rights we do not overlook for the sake of profit. A world wherein all are given the opportunity to create a life of fulfillment and joy, with each awarded the privileges of housing, food, water, and belonging.
These are not radical ideas! They are rooted in love. Love for humanity. Love for life. Love for a deeper connection to our souls, to this world, and to the vast immensity of this ‘verse.
Your invitation
This is my invitation to you: to Go Love First, to practice its teachings, and to embrace a new kind of identity. Don’t just aspire to be “your best self”; become the Love First version of yourself.
To the skeptics and the fearful I say only this: do not fight ideas that seem unrealistic to you. Instead, ask why others believe in them, and share what you would need to join in their vision, too.
This world is coming, day by day, and we want you to understand that this world has a place for you in it wherein you’ll be happy, joyful, and full of love for the life you have. That is our commitment.
Our invitation to you is thus: what would you need, for you to join us and commit to Going Love First?
As Love First People, We vow to live with courage, to love when it is hard, and to build a world where all beings can thrive.
These will be the stories of our lives, and become the mythologies of our generation.
Let us build the new world with Love, together.