Bean Manifesto

To achieve contentment in life, one must pursue merits. It is easy to let these merits be dictated by imagined entities such as governments and religions, or authoritative figures such as parents, teachers and bosses. Many seek the approval of these figures/entities by allowing their structures of praise and reward to define the ambitions, motivations and self-respect of the individual. The reliance on this system allows people to channel their energies into doing something, whilst avoiding the big existential questions that have no answers and can often fill us with dread. Questioning why we do what we do is a fundamental part of being human, and the simplest answer to that question lies in the value we place on the respect of our instructors.

We believe it is important for individuals to consider their own fundamental merit value system.

In our minds, meritable acts involve productivity and kindness. Any production that is not unkind is meritable and kindness is always meritable. When production is combined with brilliance/genius it deserves higher merit, but without production of some kind, there is nothing to give merit to. A person who spends 1000 hours digging holes in a field has achieved more than a genius who spent 1000 hours staring at the ceiling. To demonstrate one’s agency in a way that produces a tangible outcome is fundamental to the pursuit of happiness. Whilst the content of the production is important, the fact that it was produced as well as the scale of the production has an importance of itself.