Manifesto

i am for dignity and against glory––

i am for ambition and against prestige––

i am for the whole and against the totality––

i am for unity and against unification––

i am for insight and against genius––

i am for strength and against power––

i am for collectives and against collectivism––

i am for individuals and against individualism––

i am for tradition and against convention––

i am for the everyday and against the ordinary––

i am for wonder and against miracles––

i am for labyrinths and against righteousness––

i am for compassion and against pity––

i am for dreams and against illusions––

i am for mischief and against recklessness––

i am for discovery and against revelation––

i am for judgment and against judgmentality––

i am for rivalry and against competition––

i am for ease and against lethargy––

i am for beauty and against vanity––
i am for darkness and against abysses––

i am for digression and against diversion––

i am for intuition and against evasion––

i am for accomplishment and against triumph––

i am for migration and against displacement––

i am for depth and against profundity––

i am for the planet and against globalism––

i am for the people and against the nation––

i am for rebellion and against crowds––

i am for leadership and against leaders––
i am for fools and against foolishness––

i am for loss and against compromise––

i am for sorrow and against despair––

i am for vulnerability and against helplessness––

i am for confidence and against authority––
i am for solitude and against isolation––

i am for loyalty and against stubbornness—

i am for irreverence and against mockery––

i am for irony and against sarcasm––

i am for praise and against worship––
i am for abundance and against excess––

i am for mastery and against perfection—

i am for difference and against hierarchy––

i am for specialization and against narrowness—

i am for doubt and against worry––
i am for generosity and against duty––

i am for methods and against systems––

i am for remembrance and against faith—

i am for contemplation and against overthinking––

i am for calmness and against stasis—
i am for opposition and against enmity––

i am for sacrifice and against martyrdom––

i am for growth and against conquest––

i am for moderation and against averages––

i am for nonviolence and against submission––

i am for pleasure and against indulgence––

i am for sadness and against resignation––

i am for proof and against accusation––

i am for mystery and against mystification––

i am for grief and against collapse––
i am for order and against law—

i am for death and against absence—

i am for release and against giving up—

i am for the self and against the ego—

i am for dialectic and against manifestoes—
[poem:  st. petersburg, russia, 2019]
[photographs:  details of vasily kandinsky's black spot, 1912, in the russian museum, st. petersburg]