Life Manifesto
About once a year, I sit down and diligently work through my "Life Manifesto" — a set of rules and internal principles that align with my way of living: my thinking, intentions, and actions. I am grateful for the opportunity to conduct these revisions. It means my brain's neuroplasticity is in good shape and that I haven't hit rock bottom like a stone in the flow of life-time. With every new iteration, I transform my vision of the world and my role within it. I do this by studying philosophical schools, exploring new cultures and people, and taking a close look at my own thought processes, habits, shortcomings, and ambitions.
I know that a "final" version of this manifesto will never exist. Everything living changes in the process of maturing. However, I have managed to form a series of values and principles so deeply rooted in me that any other way of life feels impossible or, at the very least, incomprehensible. I don’t rule out that some of these values may change drastically as I encounter new revelations of self-discovery. As someone for whom the search for truth is one of the most fascinating possibilities of existence, I would only welcome such changes.
I write this manifesto to remind myself of a certain system — one that helps me withstand challenges and avoid falling into the abyss of primal instincts. Systematization, consistency, and structure are what overcome impulsivity and the fear of the unknown in moments of despair. All my life energy, positive emotions, calm, and confidence stem from a conscious living of all events and taking responsibility for the life decisions I make.
This manifesto in no way answers the question, "What kind of person am I?" I have no right to judge myself in that way. It is the people who interact with me who decide what kind of person I am. Each person interprets the various facets of my intentions and actions in their own way. I am merely stating the template I follow in my worldview, not the final, applied "who I am" in the lives of the people I encounter on my path.
Chapter 1. Defining Values
Forming one’s own vision of the world is always a choice. Often, this choice happens unconsciously, influenced by the surrounding environment, upbringing, and the unspoken rules of society. The flow of events in each of our lives is a complex probabilistic system. A single event, insignificant on a cosmic scale, can easily become the deciding factor in shaping how one random person perceives the universe. A series of similar events only reinforces that perception and turns it into a firm belief.
Thus, by living through unique events within my unique bubble, my values have been formed over the years — just as yours were formed in your world. And no matter how much they differ, there are no "right" or "wrong" values. There is only our subjective perception of what is right. Navigating thousands of crossroads every day, we lean on this internal sense of correctness. Each of these decisions, however small, is the result and reflection of hundreds of decisions made before.
I have identified five core life values that accurately reflect the chemical processes in my head when it’s time to make a decision or act under uncertainty. These are the deep, fundamental settings upon which specific applied decision-making templates are built — rational logic, objective "pros" and "cons." The conditions of the tasks are always different, but these five principles stand behind every decision.
Principle 1. Ethics
I strive to resist universal entropy and the degradation of human potential to the extent that it does not lead to unsolicited interference in the lives of others. This means I adhere to a certain libertarian ethical standard: I am free to lead by example, but not to impose "correct" thinking, because everyone has their own version of correctness.
Principle 2. Love
I strive to show demanding compassion instead of hatred, to the extent that it does not facilitate exploitation. I show kindness as long as the other party does not behave parasitically.
Principle 3. Care
I am a rational egoist. I strive for my altruism to be sustainable, to the extent that it does not harm me. My energy is a limited resource. Altruism is a way of self-improvement, but only as long as it prevents emotional burnout.
Principle 4. Sincerity
I strive to express true intentions and beliefs to the extent that it does not reach extremes that destroy strong relationships. Tactical authenticity over radical honesty.
Principle 5. Honesty
I strive to be honest to the extent that it does not cause harm to others, avoiding convenient dishonesty or causing constant discomfort.
Chapter 2. Defining Missions
For many years, the concept of a "mission" did not exist in my vocabulary. Only by asking questions about the search for meaning was I able to find a trace of "why am I doing everything I do, beyond satisfying my own pleasure receptors?"
Perhaps these are just illusions I’ve imposed on myself, the pursuit of which might bring me happiness. Or perhaps not. In any case, I strive and will continue to strive to bring them to life. I’ve noticed that any minor goal I set for myself, in one way or another, realizes one of these missions, confirming their authenticity.
- Guiding people toward a healthy lifestyle through my own example — discipline, fitness, nutrition, philosophy.
- Inspiring and energizing people through books, music, and software products.
- Maintaining my own well-being and happiness so that my work remains authentic.
I note here that these are merely intentions — vectors in which I want to move. No matter how embryonic they are now, they remind me exactly what and why I am putting in daily effort.
Chapter 3. Freedom through Systems and Discipline
My life currently revolves around the question of discipline. I practice self-control and conscious restraint to rewrite the neural pathways in my head. I am convinced that every single person is "addicted" to something, and the path to freedom is the ability to say "no" when it is hardest to say. The only way to truly enjoy life is to be clear of all addictions.
Breaking free from the slavery of all habits and dependencies — whether destructive or neutral — is vital. I believe it is dishonest to restrain oneself in some actions and thoughts only to compensate in others. Discipline doesn't work that way; that's a trap. At this stage of my life, I am conducting experiments to train my willpower, aiming to turn it into an absolute. Whether I succeed is an open question; otherwise, I wouldn't call them experiments.
Willpower is an extremely scarce resource. We try to manage it through faith, persistence of intent, and external constraints. It almost always fails. Those who have unlocked the secret become truly free.
I also realize that the "one-day" planning horizon I once lived by was just another experiment. It didn't contradict discipline and systems, but it proved that they are a necessity — the very necessity I was seeking to move toward the images of a better life I’ve drawn for myself.
Chapter 4. Moving Toward Meta-Cognition
It seems to me that I once crossed the threshold of awareness where the path back was burned forever. "Woe from Wit." That blurred moment in time when the search for truth became the most significant and interesting action in life. We will likely never fully know the truth of how objective reality is structured. It is limited by our imagination, our ignorance, the horizons of the visible universe, and the undiscovered laws of nature. We build abstractions in a world where the concrete truth remains in a slightly ajar black box.
To borrow from programming: it’s easy to mess up with abstractions even when the concrete implementations are known and thoroughly studied. You can abstract the wrong thing, at the wrong time, incompletely — or, conversely, abstract too much.
This leads me to the conclusion that, in all likelihood, no modern abstraction is perfect. But I take a step back in search of the answer to: why do we need abstractions and higher categories of thought? It’s the same question as "why do we need philosophy," isn't it? It’s about worldview, critical thinking, the search for meaning, and understanding oneself in the world.
Chapter 5. Energy
I am certain that discipline is inextricably linked to life energy — whether physical or the internal energy of the heart. Every action, inaction, or even thought shifts the energy slider in one of two directions. Furthermore, wasting energy is quite easy; it’s a move toward high entropy. Filling the "energy cup" requires active effort.
Overcoming, maintaining a system, having goals, and moving along set vectors — all of this also consumes energy, but it transforms it with a much higher efficiency (COP) into something greater than what was there initially. It is crucial to spend enough initial activation energy to overcome the inertia of rest. For example: it is extremely difficult for me to force myself to disciplinedly engage in a new activity or one I previously abandoned — nutrition, sports, reading academic literature. That initial push is always required to break the vicious cycle. For me, that push has become a system of contracts and public accountability. In any situation where the question is "I know this will bring fruits and energy in the future, but it's so tempting to spend less energy now," it is vital to overcome oneself.
No matter how much we wish for a source of eternal energy, it likely doesn't exist. My system allows for possible breakdowns — a return to a state of chaos and rest — but what I can truly do is predict such overloads and make them planned and controlled.
Chapter 6. Daily Tuning
I try to start every day by reminding myself of the goals and missions I’ve formed. They are indeed easy to forget. Values are something that don’t require a reminder — we are the embodiment of our values. At the same time, goals, missions, and visions of the future are much more dynamic elements. We generate them on the fly, subject them to skeptical analysis, and are free to end them as easily as we started them.
On these days, I ask questions of meaning. "Why?" is the primary question. "I came up with this specific goal — but why? Is it worth the effort I need to put in today to achieve it?" This isn't a question of the global meaning of existence — not at all. Constant philosophizing about global meaning is a sophisticated form of procrastination. I ask questions about today. These searches and reminders allow me to return to a state of awareness and focus, turning an uncontrolled swim down the river of time into a managed cruise.
The second element of my method is external nourishment. Self-reflection, the search for meaning, and affirmations are limited by the confines of our own minds. I am convinced that to maintain a meaningful life, it is necessary to connect to external sources of inspiration and life energy — drawing them from books, conversations with strong people, and the contemplation of nature.
Draft version. 03.26.2026