A Secret

Published on Dec 14, 2025, filed under philosophy, misc, advocacy. (Share this post, e.g. on Mastodon or on Bluesky.)

10 years ago, in 2015, after returning from one and a half years on the road and dedicating a lot more time to philosophy, I was pretty upset about the state of the world and our being so extremely primitive.

To channel the frustration, I set out to write a manifesto.

After asking one of my best friends for a review, I put that manifesto on a website.

I also turned the manifesto into a book. A super-short book—a pamphlet.

I did this all anonymously. Sort of—I disclosed some involvement in the book, and I also couldn’t help but covertly promote the manifesto.

And then I let it all simmer.

10 years later, I think the manifesto is relevant and useful as ever, but I don’t think it needs anonymity anymore.

What I wrote back then is The Other Manifesto, whose book can also be obtained as a PDF directly from the website.

And that’s it—almost:

While there are few things I’d change today (ad hoc, two: rephrase the part on expressing gender and sexuality, and address an exception if beings express a wish to die), a manifesto like this needs embedding into a greater context.

Such a context could be a larger, more accurate world view, and/or a movement that is as constructive.

I’m not sure yet when and how to proceed, and so all I do here is share what I did, 10 years ago.

If you haven’t yet—which you probably haven’t—, check out The Other Manifesto. If this speaks to you, reach out or follow me, preferably on Mastodon.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve been working as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you’ve never heard of and companies you use every day, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)