Off the Tracts

[Cramulus]

Here's a brainstorm topic. If there were a five-page booklet or pamphlet which "sells" Discordia, or at least summarizes why it's relevant to you in a very short space, what would it be about?




Here's one whack at mine:


Page 1: The Information Age has changed some fundamental stuff about society. We now assemble our identities from stuff way outside our local sphere. We call this the Strange Times, and it marks an era where "normality" is not just an illusion, not just a viscious trap laid by popular consensus, but the enemy of growth.

Page 2: Humans are, for the most part, irrational creatures. This means that it's a waste of time to try and build a rational world order - some jackass is just going to screw it up! Rather than be dismayed by this, we try to find the humor in it.

Page 3: Strife and Confusion are the essence of living in an irrational, strange time. The Ancient Greeks, who were trying to build society out of nothingness, saw Eris as the enemy. In today's context, she is the force which will dismantle bureaucracy and show us how to assemble an identity out of hilarious parts, rather than the boring grayfaced crap we see everywhere. The modern Discordians use her as a symbol for Disorder, which is ultimately a tool for balance.

Page 4: Discordians have been around since the late 50s. Their religion venerates humor and takes nothing (especially the self) seriously. They have impacted culture in numerous subtle ways.

Page 5: Having read this pamphlet, you are now a pope, able to define what is good and bad in your personal slice of the cosmos.



The pamphlet would be littered with marginalia, meme bombs, and images from the Principia. Optimally, it should be funny or surreal in a way which jars the reader.

[LMNO]

The SSOOKN developed this a few years ago.  Maybe it can help.

This flyer is about EVERYTHING.

Please take the time to read it. You are free to regard and/or disregard its contents. In fact, you are always free.

1. What you think is REALITY, is merely a collection of ideas and beliefs about REALITY. Many of these 'ideas about reality' came from the culture in which you were raised and have accumulated haphazardly over time.

2.This, in itself, is not a problem. The problem is in forgetting point No 1.  When you forget point No 1, you mistake your 'ideas about reality' for being REALITY.  Of this it has been said: The menu is not the meal. Please refrain from eating the menu.

3.People who 'eat the menu' frequently become confused & annoyed when other people insist on seeing REALITY in a different way.  All that truly differs are their ideas & beliefs about REALITY.  It's unlikely that the Universe knows or cares what you think about it.

4.Beliefs are just thoughts you keep having....

5....But you are not your thoughts.

6. No living being is capable of perceiving all REALITY, as all senses of perception are limited.  Humans can only see, hear, taste & feel within certain parameters.  Information entering out senses undergoes compression, filtration, distortion and interpretation.  Interpretation is what happens when information meets your beliefs.

7. For no good reason, this composite of Belief and Biological Limits is called THE BLACK IRON PRISON and is a metaphor of existence.  It means that there's very little you can do about biology however; you can choose what becomes part of your beliefs. (Always keeping point No 1 in mind).

8. Each person exists within his or her own, unique, BIP "cell".  This cell is composed of:

a)   Biological limits – these are largely unchangeable.
b)   Belief systems – these are highly changeable.

Because of (a), the BIP call cannot be escaped from.  Because of (b), your life experience "cell" can be altered drastically.  This is called "reconstruction".

9. A life-long commitment to continual reconstruction is known, ironically, as "A Jail Break".  Reconstruction is HARD WORK.  When we remember point No 1, we experience the light between the bars.  When we forget, we slam into them, head first.

10. The collection of beliefs, ideas, notions etc that form your cell are all equally valid, though non are ultimately TRUE.  However, some beliefs are more effective than others. It is up to the individuals to decide for them which beliefs are effective.

11. Some people believe (ha!) that the term Black Iron Prison is dark, bleak, depressing and frightening.  If you prefer, use the term Golden Sphere of Possibility (GSP) instead.  It means exactly the same thing as BIP and all points still apply.

12. BIP (or GSP) is the only known philosophical antidote to dogmatism.

[Cramulus]

another angle....


Page 1: This pamphlet was thrusted into the chaos of modern living, and somehow it found its way to your hands. This is the work of Eris, the Ancient Greek Goddess of Confusion. She symbolizes a return to balance, but her method is disorder.

Page 2: Most of mankind's problems come from the Curse of Grayface. All the suffering you experience can be resolved by mental shifts. To grow past these problems, you must recontextualize your life. After all, you're just a shmuck.

Page 3: You suffer from the Curse of Grayface, and soon you will be free of it. Go partake of a hotdog on a friday, and understand that this is a symbolic act of rebellion. Kill your idols.

Page 4: Discordian monks don't have monasteries. Unlike other monks, they don't isolate themselves or abstain from anything. They live just like regular people, but they laugh an awful lot more.

Page 5: Welcome to the Legion of Dynamic Discord!

[Cramulus]

another angle:

Page 1: The illuminatti are a symbol for the modes of power present in our society. Everyone who shapes reality for others is a member of the illuminatti. Centuries ago, they won the war against the human spirit, and have now convinced people that they need to live their lives in pursuit of other people's goals.

Page 2: the Discordians Society is a symbol for the rebellion against this power, ying to the illuminatti's yang.

Page 3: While there may or may not be a shadowy cabal of puppeteers who have meticulously engineered the world we live in, the Discordian Society is a real entity. They've been around since the late 50s and have permeated culture in a very subtle way. Look for the numbers 5 and 23, and you shall see the Disordian Society.

Page 4: The Goddess Eris will help you see the truth behind the numbers 5 and 23s. Not much else needs to be said about this divine revelation.

Page 5: There are no rules, anywhere

[LMNO]

Page 1: Reality is subjective, based on personal history and perception.

Page 2: Existence is made up of Order and Disorder, and it's often hard to tell which is which.

Page 3: If you're willing to change your subjective perception of Reality as often as necessary, it can make Existence a lot easier.

Page 4: Changing your subjective perceptions of Reality can be achieved by questioning every premise you hold true, as well as every premise you hold false.

Page 5: People who do this for fun are called Discordians.

[Cramulus]

  I like that one!



see also:
http://23ae.com/index.asp?post=256
http://23ae.com/index.asp?post=37

a little more on the surreal/absurd side

[Cainad (dec.)]

My sloppy first shot at it:

1. There are a million possible perspectives on life, the universe, and everything to choose from, and they're all available for free via a worldwide information network that was developed instead of flying cars and spaceships in the new millennium. Who can you possibly trust to show you the right perspective in these increasingly bizarre times?

2. Well, it sure as hell isn't us, but we'd like to share a few of our batshit goofball ideas with you. In the end, of course, you'll have to Think For Yourself, Schmuck!

3. Taking one's perspective on life, the universe, and everything seriously is often considered of central importance to that perspective. It's even considered rude to make fun of other people's perspectives even when it leads them to do silly things, so we go around all day trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. We'd like to know why on earth we're fighting our own laughter and glee, and we wonder if maybe the world would be a better place if we stopped believing that a serious perspective is a better perspective.

4. If you have any interest at all in what we're saying here, we invite you to join our ongoing dialogue. We call ourselves the Discordians, and many of us share a handful of overlapping ideas, but we have yet to figure out exactly what Discordianism is all about. So rather than tell you what we, that authors of this pamphlet think Discordianism "is," we dare you to add your thoughts to the mad chorus of voices. Unlike other religions, real or fake, we have no clear boundaries on what to believe. It's a free-for-all Chaotic brainstorm of disparate minds.

5. Actually, never mind. All of this is probably just a bunch of obnoxious baloney designed to confuse you. It's probably not as interesting as what will be on TV when you get home. Put this down, walk away, and forget you read any of this.

[Verbal Mike]

I'm going to be as critical as I can about all of these because I think this is a great idea. Plus, I don't feel like going to sleep because I'm in a bad mood.

Page 1: The Information Age has changed some fundamental stuff about society. We now assemble our identities from stuff way outside our local sphere. We call this the Strange Times, and it marks an era where "normality" is not just an illusion, not just a viscious trap laid by popular consensus, but the enemy of growth.

Page 2: Humans are, for the most part, irrational creatures. This means that it's a waste of time to try and build a rational world order - some jackass is just going to screw it up! Rather than be dismayed by this, we try to find the humor in it.

Page 3: Strife and Confusion are the essence of living in an irrational, strange time. The Ancient Greeks, who were trying to build society out of nothingness, saw Eris as the enemy. In today's context, she is the force which will dismantle bureaucracy and show us how to assemble an identity out of hilarious parts, rather than the boring grayfaced crap we see everywhere. The modern Discordians use her as a symbol for Disorder, which is ultimately a tool for balance.

Page 4: Discordians have been around since the late 50s. Their religion venerates humor and takes nothing (especially the self) seriously. They have impacted culture in numerous subtle ways.

Page 5: Having read this pamphlet, you are now a pope, able to define what is good and bad in your personal slice of the cosmos.

I like (1) a lot. I think it's very powerful and effective at this point in time. No further comment.

(2) seems to me to start off really well and then get less appealing... "Humans are irrational" is a strong point because it's so easy to confirm. The stuff about building a rational world order seems irrelevant. Not to mention, the jackass that's gonna screw it up is part of our target audience! This could be reworked somehow, but I'm too tired to do it at the moment.

(3) emphasizing strife and discord is great. Emphasizing the Greek stuff...I personally don't like it so much. It can be a turn-off. Referring to She What Done it All as an ancient symbol for strife can be enough to insert her into the discourse, then you can focus on strife, discord, and fun.

(4) this is good, but you do it better in one of the later versions (where you say "look for the numbers 23 and 5")

(5) this is also great.

Here's a bit of text that was supposed to be a one-sentence thought for insertion but came out as more (written after I saw (5) above):

You may not realize it now, but you're a Discordian and always have been one. You're not one of those monkeys, you're better than that. You're still one of us, one of the humans, and by goodness you will NOT slide back down that evolutionary scale and turn back in to MUSH. You are a human, damn it, and we humans do not just lay back and let mere CIRCUMSTANCE victimize US! FUCK THAT! WE HUMANS VICTIMIZE THE CIRCUMSTANCES RIGHT BACK! It's what we climed out of the primordial sludge for, and it's how we have all these cities, all these INTERNETS. It may seem tempting, oh does it seem tempting, to sit back and let others run your internets, run your cities... But sitting back and eating lice is for MONKEYS! DONT LET THEM TAKE OUR INTERNETS!

(Like everything I post here, this is 100% yoink-certified, and I will never resent anything you do with it unless the usage is intentionally designed to make me look really bad IRL and does that effectively somehow. That's the only situation where I could possibly give a fuck about what you do with this.)

[Verbal Mike]

another angle....

Page 1: This pamphlet was thrusted into the chaos of modern living, and somehow it found its way to your hands. This is the work of Eris, the Ancient Greek Goddess of Confusion. She symbolizes a return to balance, but her method is disorder.

Page 2: Most of mankind's problems come from the Curse of Grayface. All the suffering you experience can be resolved by mental shifts. To grow past these problems, you must recontextualize your life. After all, you're just a shmuck.

Page 3: You suffer from the Curse of Grayface, and soon you will be free of it. Go partake of a hotdog on a friday, and understand that this is a symbolic act of rebellion. Kill your idols.

Page 4: Discordian monks don't have monasteries. Unlike other monks, they don't isolate themselves or abstain from anything. They live just like regular people, but they laugh an awful lot more.

Page 5: Welcome to the Legion of Dynamic Discord!

(1) again, AWESOME beginning, but the ending is less to my taste. A reference to the golden apple can be smart because it's a recognizable symbol that many people already know without knowing it's Discordian. Going on about ancient greek gods and a return to balance will only get us wiccans and their ilk, and frankly there are better monkeys in this bucket. (all this only imho duh)

(2) seems solid

(3) GREAT

(4) this makes me think "huh? monks?!"

(5) THIS. again ties into the concept that if you're reading this, you're probably already a discordian, just not aware of it yet.

[Cramulus]

  good posts, verb. keep 'em coming!

feedback always appreciated

[Verbal Mike]

another angle:

Page 1: The illuminatti are a symbol for the modes of power present in our society. Everyone who shapes reality for others is a member of the illuminatti. Centuries ago, they won the war against the human spirit, and have now convinced people that they need to live their lives in pursuit of other people's goals.

Page 2: the Discordians Society is a symbol for the rebellion against this power, ying to the illuminatti's yang.

Page 3: While there may or may not be a shadowy cabal of puppeteers who have meticulously engineered the world we live in, the Discordian Society is a real entity. They've been around since the late 50s and have permeated culture in a very subtle way. Look for the numbers 5 and 23, and you shall see the Disordian Society.

Page 4: The Goddess Eris will help you see the truth behind the numbers 5 and 23s. Not much else needs to be said about this divine revelation.

Page 5: There are no rules, anywhere

(1) and (2) aren't my cup of tea but I know they are some's. 3-5 are PURE AWESOME and should be remixed in many forms.

[Verbal Mike]

Page 1: Reality is subjective, based on personal history and perception.

Page 2: Existence is made up of Order and Disorder, and it's often hard to tell which is which.

Page 3: If you're willing to change your subjective perception of Reality as often as necessary, it can make Existence a lot easier.

Page 4: Changing your subjective perceptions of Reality can be achieved by questioning every premise you hold true, as well as every premise you hold false.

Page 5: People who do this for fun are called Discordians.

This is a solid approach imho, but I think it should not be done in isolation. This pamphlet will be far less powerful if it reads like some cheap self-help guide. Maybe chaotically overlaying this with one of the other approaches would produce some awesome synergy.

[Verbal Mike]

My sloppy first shot at it:

1. There are a million possible perspectives on life, the universe, and everything to choose from, and they're all available for free via a worldwide information network that was developed instead of flying cars and spaceships in the new millennium. Who can you possibly trust to show you the right perspective in these increasingly bizarre times?

2. Well, it sure as hell isn't us, but we'd like to share a few of our batshit goofball ideas with you. In the end, of course, you'll have to Think For Yourself, Schmuck!

3. Taking one's perspective on life, the universe, and everything seriously is often considered of central importance to that perspective. It's even considered rude to make fun of other people's perspectives even when it leads them to do silly things, so we go around all day trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. We'd like to know why on earth we're fighting our own laughter and glee, and we wonder if maybe the world would be a better place if we stopped believing that a serious perspective is a better perspective.

4. If you have any interest at all in what we're saying here, we invite you to join our ongoing dialogue. We call ourselves the Discordians, and many of us share a handful of overlapping ideas, but we have yet to figure out exactly what Discordianism is all about. So rather than tell you what we, that authors of this pamphlet think Discordianism "is," we dare you to add your thoughts to the mad chorus of voices. Unlike other religions, real or fake, we have no clear boundaries on what to believe. It's a free-for-all Chaotic brainstorm of disparate minds.

5. Actually, never mind. All of this is probably just a bunch of obnoxious baloney designed to confuse you. It's probably not as interesting as what will be on TV when you get home. Put this down, walk away, and forget you read any of this.

Another solid one. In (1), I would avoid mentioning "trust", unless it's very marginal and/or immediately made absurd. People might accidentally take this seriously and/or put it down thinking it's scientomolojizm-like creepy stuff.
As for the rest, I like it a lot, but the tone should not be the one displayed here imho. For this one to work, it seems to me like it needs to be made more Zany, while at the same time conveying its message clearly and unironically. It just can't come off as serious as your text.
(5) is awesome tho.

[Verbal Mike]

In general terms, we should keep in mind the kind of situation where people pick one of these up, and this means the front side and back side should both be possible starting points because likely as not, bored people in bus-stops will find these lying on the ground and we have no control of which side goes where.

Also, I'm looking to take some time off from my activism stuff soon (before I work myself to death) and I will be available for writing, proofing and editing during that time off. I think this tract is an awesome idea and if the timing works out I will try to put some effort into it. Sadly if the timing is off I'll probably have too much other stuff to write/proof/edit and will never get around to it... Will try to stick around tho.

[Verbal Mike]

Oh yeah, I don't remember anymore which idea made me think this, and I'm too tired to check thoroughly, but I think one thing we really should avoid is coming off as "fuck the system/tear down the government" anarchists. People are both too paranoid and too jaded/docile for that stuff, and I believe it's no longer an effective approach. But YMMV.