Principles for a Self-Directed Society.

I self-published my “manifesto” in 2008, but the original version was something I had dreamed up while working as a part-time house painter back in 2002, while I was living in a barn and struggling with PTSD. The original version was simply titled, “A Guide.” It was meant to instruct the reader on all manner of social behaviors. It was meant to be the book I wished I had read many years before; it was meant to be the book that would someday teach my own children how to be better human beings. I filed a copyright on it, and printed a stack of copies myself in 2004 or so: cutting the pages by hand with a paper trimmer and gluing them into the cover with hot glue. Needless to say, it was not a bestseller. In addition to the obvious, the tone was stilted and unnatural. The writing style was trying too hard, and the message was completely lost.

So I scrapped the whole thing, and started over from scratch. The new version was written in straightforward academic tones, getting downright conversational in places. Instead of focusing on individual behavior, it talked about large-scale social transformation.

My stated goal in “Principles for a Self-Directed Society” was to pursue social changes in 4 areas:

• the restoration of the natural environment
• peace on Earth
• health and prosperity for all
• a guarantee of basic human rights: including freedom, privacy, and equality

The book talked about a lot of ideas that have gained much traction in the many years since then: including universal health care; legalizing narcotics and treating addiction as a health issue; and a return to the progressive taxation policies of the early twentieth century.

The book also embraced some pie-in-the-sky pacifist idealism. It called for a complete drawdown of all United States military presence overseas (well over a decade later, President Biden is finally beginning to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan). It further called for transforming the US military into a strictly defensive force. Since then, I have spent more time reading the works of Machiavelli, and I no longer believe that this is possible; at least not in the foreseeable future. My proposal depended on the United Nations assuming the role of global security; but the UN has made abundantly clear in the years since then that it is not yet up to the task. That said, these are still ideas worth talking about, even if they seem unrealistic in the near term.

When I published “Principles for a Self-Directed Society” in 2008, I had never heard the term, “print-on-demand publishing.” I self-published the book the way books had always been self-published in the past: I paid a book manufacturer to print the books, had them shipped to my house, and attempted the distribution myself. I listed them for sale on my website, and started a blog to promote the book and discuss its ideas.

I never sold a single copy. I gave a few away at a protest during “Occupy Wall Street,” but the people I gave them to seemed, well, disinterested. I gave a few away to family and friends; and the rest are still sitting in my garage in unopened boxes.

A Revised Edition

But there is still a place in this world for these ideas. The book’s problem was its marketing and distribution, more than its content.

More than 12 years later, I re-released “Principles for a Self-Directed Society” last November. The new edition has a slightly improved graphic design on the front cover, removing the faux embossed globe image. It also has a revised passage dealing with gun reform. After I wrote the book, the ban on assault rifles and large-capacity magazines expired, and since then the number and scale of mass shootings has dramatically increased as a direct result. The revised text notes the need to regulate these weapons to guarantee the safety of a civilian population. The revised edition also adds a few words in conclusion at the very end; and it corrects a few minor textual and factual errors. Other than that, the revised edition is a straight re-release of “Principles for a Self-Directed Society.” Thanks to the wonders of the digital age, it’s now available online from major retailers including Barnes and Noble. I would encourage you to check it out with an open mind, and consider how broadly we really could change our society if we agreed to try.