Manifesto

Time Zero is an association committed to the pursuit of global social progress. We believe that the Purpose of society must be the greatest individual and collective wellbeing, in terms of happiness, ability, knowledge, and freedom.

We believe that material conditions, like money and possessions, can be a tool for facilitating the achievement of the Purpose, not a goal in themselves.

We define progress as the act of approaching the attainment of the Purpose, and regression as the act of receding from it.

At the current global state of affairs, our efforts focus on three priority areas:

1. DEMOCRACY

Democracy, meant as the sovereignty of the people, is far from being a widely attained achievement. The global average democracy index and the voter turnout have been steadily decreasing. The majority of the human population does not live in a democratic political system. The rest belongs almost exclusively to indirect democracies.

The promotion of progress in political sovereignty is an essential part of improving society and consists of accompanying it through the stages of the sovereignty cycle, from totalitarianism to indirect democracy, direct democracy, and beyond.

Clearly, the transition must be gradual. Forcing an uninvolved population to directly manage a country overnight is a recipe for disaster. People must be educated into competent, responsible and critical-thinking citizens and gradually entrusted with an increasing number of decisions.

Each stage may take years, decades or millennia. It does not matter. What matters is that countries set political progress as a goal and continuously make concrete steps forwards. No government currently does.

We believe democracy is a step forwards for humanity in the pursuit of the full responsibilization and self-determination of individuals and the realization of their full personal and collective potential. Only one country currently embraces (semi-)direct democracy and it happens to be the one with the highest average wealth per capita.

We believe democracy is a tool for peace, as war and conflicts are stirred by governments, not the peoples they are supposed to represent. That same one country also happens to be the neutral one par excellence.

2. DISARMAMENT

While we believe the solution to international conflicts is competent democracy, the need for disarmament is so urgent as to deserve a separate and immediate action plan founded on popular initiative and diplomacy between countries.

Since World War II, nuclear weapons have been the prime threat to life on Earth. They represent the ultimate instrument of international power and, therefore, none of the nuclear-armed countries is willing to give them up, all the more so in the current geopolitical climate. The implications are so broad that the International Court of Justice abstained from advising on their ban.

In such a stalemate, we believe that the number of nuclear warheads should be first and foremost reduced below extinction and Earth uninhabitability levels for the sake of all countries.

3. HUMAN SUSTAINABILITY

Much has been said around the sustainability of mankind’s development in relation to its environment – little about the sustainability of its development in relation to the individual.

We believe policies and technological advancement must pursue first and foremost the physical and spiritual wellbeing of human beings. Safeguarding the environment is an essential part of it, but it does not suffice.

Like all powerful tools, automation can bring great benefit or terrible consequences. We believe individuals deserve to live fulfilling lives. We believe individuals should have a purpose. We believe individuals should have a meaningful function within society.

We believe materialism is not sustainable. We believe money cannot be the highest value of any community. We believe in the promotion of spiritual practices. We believe spiritual experiences are subjective and cannot be imposed on others as dogma. We believe decadence is caused by a lack of purpose and understanding of self.

We believe social isolation is not sustainable. We believe in the promotion of favourable circumstances for people to meet, communicate, associate, make friends and find partners. We believe in the active inclusion of pensioners in social and productive activities, according to their ability and pace. We believe social media cannot replace direct interaction.

We believe human beings should be fed with healthy, nutrient and naturally tasty food. They should not be exposed to chemical substances that can hurt their bodies and impede their minds.

We believe children should grow in tolerable environments. They should be shown love and understanding. They should be spared violence and overwhelming experiences.

We believe individuals should live in reality and not in artificial simulations or chemical allucinations.

We believe the advancement of society is measured as subjective wellbeing.

We believe any form of falsehood is not sustainable. We believe in a society built on ethics and truth rather than compromise and lies.