Matt Helt | SecretPenguin Blog

Manifesto (def.) - a public declaration of policy and aims.

I am undertaking the task of writing a manifesto because Duke Stump, former VP of Brand at Nike and Founder and Chief Architect of The Northstar Manifesto, said it would be a great exercise in declaring what your personal policy (beliefs) and aims are. If they’re written down, he said, you’re more likely to follow them because you’ll have a document to refer to as often as you like.

A manifesto is not intended to be a static document that goes unchanged. It’s a living document, one that evolves as you evolve over the course of your life. It will change as you change.

That being said, I present to you my personal manifesto.

Manifesto
I am one human being living among many human beings. I am connected to all of them through my belief that no one person is more important than another. We all have value. We all deserve respect. I choose this moment to be the time when I devote myself to the betterment of humanity as a whole.

To do this, I will concentrate my efforts on providing humanity a better place to live. For too long we’ve functioned separate from each other with the belief that what’s good for the individual is best for everyone. The popular belief is if I am successful and you fail, tough luck. You should’ve worked harder. Yes, there are those among us who don’t pull their own weight. There always will be. But to ignore them is futile. They will not go away. They will only spread their values to their children, and so on. The time is now for all of us to make a commitment to the children of these people. There is hope for every child out there. To change one child’s beliefs is to change humanity for the better.

Every child deserves access to technology. Technology is power - it is knowledge. I will make every effort to help children get access to this technology and break away from the destructive values of their parents. They need to know that their current situation is not something that will have to haunt them the rest of their lives. There are support systems out there that care about them and want them to succeed.

As we are connected to each other as a species, we are also connected to the rest of nature. For those of you who look in the mirror and cannot fathom that we evolved from an ape-like species, then I think you miss our intrinsic connection to our planet and our universe. We are stardust that evolved into living, thinking beings who are able to contemplate our existence and look back out at our creator. We are the mystery.

We are the shepherds of this planet. We do not own this planet, as we are simply stewards of the land and the waters. We all understand cause and effect, yet most of the time we think what we do to nature has no effect. I am committed to saving the planet, not just for humanity’s sake, but for our other brothers and sisters – the plants and animals that we share the earth with. We owe them our best efforts. If we fail, human beings will be erased from the planet, and nature will create a new steward. Hopefully, one that will learn from our mistakes.

I believe the future lies with the Creative Class. These individuals will be our thought leaders for the next millennium. My hope is that we’ll no longer be subject to the ideas and dogma of the rich and powerful. The Creative Class is a group who tends to be idealistic. They shape ideas that go beyond themselves. They are able to see how change affects everything, not just the bottom line. We need to foster their idealism and not crush they’re efforts because we think their ideas are unrealistic. Many ideas that are progressive are deemed unrealistic. Then someone comes along and ignores that message, and makes the impossible possible.

In order to ensure our survival, we must work ourselves away from a purely capitalist system. We know pure socialism isn’t the answer either. What we need to do is take the best from each and blend them. Our emphasis needs to shift away from growth, especially unsustainable growth, and be placed on common sense methods to insert humanity back into business and policy. The winner-takes-all mentality is the most damaging way to think. What if we all could be lifted up together? What if we could lower poverty by distributing our wealth to the children? How many more ideas would be generated if we could foster the talent that lies within those that are underserved by our society? One of those kids could cure cancer. One of those kids could be the next Mozart, or Picasso, or Einstein. I am committed to helping the Creative Class lead this effort to foster the next generation and shift our thinking away from growth at all costs.

And finally, I am committed to providing my family with as much love and support as I can afford. They deserve my every effort and will be the focus of my inspiration. What I do for the world also affects them. I am committed to raising my children in a creative environment where they will learn that their ideas are important. I will raise my children to think for themselves, to question authority, to solve problems using their own powers of thought, to care for the land they live on, to seek truth in all its forms, to reject bigotry and embrace diversity, to love others and to love themselves, to find beauty in all things, to be curious about things bigger than themselves, to work for peace and attempt to understand any perceived enemies, to look at nature with awe and reflect on the tremendous gifts we have been given, to know life is a miracle and not to be taken for granted, to see that the smallest among us need our biggest efforts, to channel passion into something productive, to know material items have no value and do not make us happy, to understand that the pursuit of materials items only leads to suffering, to know that the most gratifying feeling comes from serving others, and finally, to stand up for beliefs that are just and seek to transform the way we live. I do not want my children to grow up and enter into a profession that makes them lots of money, but ultimately does nothing to inspire them. I want them to give more than they take.

This is my manifesto – I seek the truth. I am committed to leaving no trace. I commit to leaving the places I visit better than they were before I arrived. I seek to find creative solutions to our problems, regardless of whether or not I profit from those decisions. I seek to live a life full of awe at the beauty nature has given us. I seek to offer my hand out to those who are suffering and provide a place to ease their pain. I seek to change the way business is done. I seek to take power away from the corrupt. I seek a form of government that is interested in what’s best for the world – not just what lies within its borders. I seek a country that rejects torture and war –  and knows that real truth only comes from understanding what affect we are having on people. I seek a religion that embraces everyone’s beliefs and does not shut out those who come from a different culture. I seek a religion that understands that man has created religion and that God doesn’t speak through any man or woman. I seek a religion that believes nature is our creator and that nature is God. I seek a religion that teaches us to surrender to the Universe as it will provide everything we need if we do.

Through this seeking, I wish to live my life committed the to human cause and pray that my curiosity and passion never withers. There is so much to learn, but not much time. My hope is that at the end of my life I have given more than I have taken, and made this tiny planet better for everyone and everything.

I’m laying here in L.A. thinking about all the stuff that has happened over the last six days. I’ve met some absolutely amazing people thanks to my host, KurtyD. The conversations I’ve had with these people have been life changing. I’ve seen what is possible and I can’t even begin to tell you how positive the future looks.

As gloomy as it has been in our country over the last couple of years (or eight years if you want to look at it that way) things are starting to brighten. I firmly believe that the only way you grow is when you’re challenged. It’s safe to say we’ve all been challenged by the economic downturn. But because of this, a spark has been ignited. People are starting to do things to affect change. They realize government and corporations can’t solve our problems. We have to take an active role in our lives to truly enact change. If more of us do that, then the effect will be tremendous. It reminds me of something I was introduced to during this trip. It’s called the Maharishi Principle. It goes something like this:

As few as the square root of one percent of the population of the society is sufficient to create an immediate change that you wish to see.

It took me a second to get my head around this. When I finally understood it I was blown away. That’s a tiny amount of people. So what if we all did our little part to affect change? What if we all started to understand that what we do affects not just ourselves, but everyone we come in contact with? That’s real power. Society has been built to give people with money all the power. But what if we all began to see that money has no power? It no longer affected the decisions you made. Instead, real power came from your ability to make an impact through your actions. If enough of us do this, there’s nothing we can’t overcome. We’re the solution to this crisis, not money, and certianly not the government.

I want to thank everyone I met on this trip, especially Kurt Daradics (@kurtyd), Shira Lazar (@shiralazar), Espree Devora (@espreedevora), Duke Stump (@skratta), Brian Seth Hurst (@briansethhurst), Paula Gould (@pago), Marc Vermut (@mvermut), Andrew Warner (@andrewwarner), Kevin Carvel (@sirrocknroll), Levi Felix (@levifelix) and Roland Obsorne (@Roland_Osborne). You are all an inspiration to me and I am eternally grateful. You’re doing amazing things and letting nothing get in your way. I have learned so much in such a short time.

And a little note about my host, KurtyD. It’s hard for me to express how amazing this guy is. He’s the next big thing for sure. He describes himself as a social catalyst. There is no better way to describe him. He brings people and ideas together in the most positive way. That’s his gift - his power. We’re all better off for having this kind of person in the world. KurtyD, I’m publically committing to be at your service. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there, no questions asked.

You’ll all get to meet Kurt when he comes out for Big Omaha. He’s got a little trip planned with Jolie O’Dell and Jonathon Dingman. More details on their exploits to come. We’ll introduce you to what #gettingradical is all about.

So I’m headed home, Omaha. I can’t wait to bring a piece of the movement back with me. My goal is to spread the gospel according change, so if you’re interested in talking with me feel free to send me a note at matt@SecretPenguin.com.

Best wishes to all of you!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who reponded to my last post. I was really touched by the kind words and glad to hear it resonnated with some of you. We’re all partners in this game - we just need to commit to helping each other.

I’ve called you all here to discuss something very important. As you all know, BIGOmaha is just a few weeks away. As I write this, I’m sitting in L.A. (Van Nuys to be exact) and contemplating what is about to take place. The buzz surrounding BIGOmaha is so intense out here. People have literally asked me point blank “What the hell is going on in Omaha?” And here’s where it gets interesting. They want to be involved. They believe that if they don’t get on board now they’re going to miss the boat. And you know, they’re right. There’s something very special going on right now. Omaha is poised to become an epicenter of thought leaders. All of you reading this have something to offer to this movement.

So what can we do to keep this momentum going? Well, if you haven’t signed up for BIGOmaha, do it right now. This isn’t a sales pitch. I’m telling you that this is the best way to get connected to what’s going on. Big time tech players from all over the country are coming out for this. As a creative, you need to get in front of them and show them your incredible talent. They want to work with you. They see the value we provide and love our energy.

The other thing I’d like to say is that there is enough opportunity out here to keep every creative in Omaha busy for the next 100 years. Seriously. There are so many projects that need your talent, your work ethic, and your spirit. Just commit yourself to working super hard and success will follow.

It would be easy for me to keep this under wraps and try to hoard all the work for SecretPenguin. I have absolutely no desire to do that. There’s enough to go around for everyone. If a project isn’t a good fit for us I want to confidently refer them to one of you. If you succeed, then we all succeed. Cut-throat competition is dead. Undermining your competition is a disservice to your community. We can all benefit if we commit to helping each other thrive.

Jeff Slobotski and Dusty Davidson have just dropped the winning lottery ticket in your lap. While it isn’t worth a million dollars, it is worth so much more terms of making the lives of creatives in Omaha better and ultimately making this town a hive of thought leaders. All we need to do is commit to helping each other thrive. If you aren’t willing to cooperate with this new ethos, then there’s no place for you here. The winner-take-all mentality is out-dated and either you change the way you do business and the way you think, or we’ll gently and politely push you out of the way. Operate with the mindset that everyone can benefit and you’ll be more successful than you can possibly imagine. Trust me - I’m witnessing this happening here in L.A. It’s so positive and amazing to watch. If we apply this model in Omaha we’ll look back at this moment in time and know this is when everything changed. Let’s rock this out and show the world that Omaha gets it.

Shift happens, my friends. Be a part of it.

Finally had a chance to catch my breath after three amazing days in LA. I’m sitting on a couch that’s located in Kurt Daradics house in Van Nuys, CA. Kurt, or KurtyD as his friends affectionately call him, is my host on this trip. To say he’s a juggernaut would be an understatement. The guy is on fire. As I’m writing this at almost 11 pm, he’s juggling phone calls, texts, emails, tweets and reading various blogs. Best of all, he does this with passion. The guy doesn’t complain. He just keeps moving forward, starting bonfires along the way. I feel very fortunate to be connected to this energy.

And what exactly is this energy? I wish I could explain it in a single post. But that’s impossible. No, it’s too deep for my simple mind to articulate. Let’s just say we’re on the cusp of something truly amazing. It’s like staring up at an avalanche the second the snow starts to break. You hear the crack and it starts to move your way. I’m in the “stunned” stage, wondering if I should run or let it overtake me. I’m thinking I’ll try to ride it out. See where it spits me out.

I’m sure this all sounds very cryptic and probably doesn’t make much sense. I feel like Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now when Marty Sheen arrives at Col. Kurtz’s camp. Talking about big ideas for three days can do that to a guy.

So I’ve got three days left here and I have a strong feeling that on day six of my trip I’ll head back to Omaha with a completely different outlook on how things can and should be done. As Duke Stump of Real 100 says, “Shift Happens.” Damn right it does.