Written and adopted as a symbol by the Summer '65 Cadre,

August 14, 1965

The Ecumenical Institute

Chicago, Illinois

I covenant myself before all that is and before the members of the Summer '65 Cadre that my death shall be given to the Revolution: the creation of the New World. In so doing, I understand myself to be part of the community of free men in history who live their lives on behalf of all mankind. I here offer my death in intentional engagement in a specific task. I promise to create a plan for the accomplishment of this task and to form a discipline which will enable me to perform this task.

As a symbol of our covenant we have chosen the written manifesto and a graphic sign representing the new breed in history which we are called to be.

STATEMENT OF OUR TIMES

With the coming of the event called the 20th century mankind has broken into a whole new way of sensing after life. He realizes his times to be ones of radical revolution and not of random change. The ordering of life is a natural phenomenon in man's existence and now for the first­time he sees himself as creator of these orders holding in his hands the power to create his own destiny.

The political structures throughout history have been man's tools for bringing about justice and the common welfare of mankind. The political structures and powers of our time are based primarily in the nation-state. These structures give rise to the tyranny of one nation over another and the confiscation of the right to determine a national destiny. The lack of powerful world governing structures permits this tyranny and permits the existence of non­representative governments.

The question of human survival is closely tied to man's political ordering of life. The western mind cannot comprehend that over 4/5 of the world still live in poverty. For the first time in history the problem at basic­ sustenance can be met; now we see the problem of need evolving into the problem of excess. Man is also acutely aware of the problem of human survival when met with the threat of nuclear destruction.

The lack of a comprehensive education is a large contributor to the inability of man to construct world political order. In the educational order of our society we are confronted with a lack of inter­disciplinary communication. On the world level communication is difficult because of our pre­formed judgments of other cultures.

The economic order of life is a key to man's struggle to be responsibly free in the 20th century. In all parts of the world the method in which­a man sustains himself tends to dictate his life style. In individual or in family life he finds himself with the problem of ordering his time and money so that he controls them. Basic to his understanding of ordering time and money is his concept of work. If word< is only a means of earning money the individual becomes the victim of his occupation. It becomes labor rather than a creative expression of self. When basic resources are not equally shared economic tyranny and the class division are heightened.

The revolution in the 20th century comes to man comprehensively in the way in which he chooses to image himself. In the tension between the now and the not yet he struggles with the imperative to appropriate unto himself the gifts which come to him from other understandings of life, such as the rhythmic vitality of the African or the oriental principle of contradiction. Within the process of becoming cosmopolitan man he finds himself shifting from a rural to urban mind­set in which the city is the life of the future. The cosmopolitan man must cope with problems which were answered in the rural mind­set, such as personal relationships. Right in the midst of all this is the struggle of what it means to be male or female.

Although we have already spoken of oppression as it makes itself known in the political and economic orders of life, a much more subtle and more damaging oppression occurs in the cultural realm. A radical NO is being said to this oppression. The peoples of the world are turning their backs on western paternalism and stepping out on their own. No longer are they satisfied with being yes­men. No longer will they accept the cultural mind­set of our times which sees luxury as a necessity and poverty as inevitable. This mind­set has allowed the great gap between the haves and the have nots and the striving of the have nots to reach the same level as the haves. Within this phenomenon is the problem of seeing oppression as a two­way street, that is the oppressor must realize that he is oppressed and the oppressed must realize that he is an oppressor.

Men of today exist in the midst of bombardment. They are being hit from all sides by the demand to become more inclusive and more open in their appropriation of the gifts of other cultures. Yet, because of guilt or fear they often fail to take the gifts of their own heritage seriously. We stand at a decisive point in history. The need is great to develop decisional men who are utterly clear about their own past and yet realize themselves to be utterly free to encompass the future.HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Man looks at the happenings of his present from the perspective of the past. There is a history that brought him to this point, and it is vital to an understanding of the situation in which he finds himself, and to the creation of a model for the future.

The time in which we find ourselves is one of radical change. Today's Revolution encompasses all past revolutions and in this sense is utterly new.

The revolutions of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were key in changing man's life. The new discoveries in science and the coming into being of new political and economic structures were indicative of the problems of the time.

However, among these radical scientific, political and economic changes western man clung o an old way of understanding his life. He pictured his world as complete in itself with eternal patterns of truth to give direction to his life. The rural images of home, land and family styled his life and the mood of his existence was one of confident assurance that all was right with the world. With the entire force of the new science and the political and economic demands being placed upon him, man is being forced to re­examine his entire style of life. This is the Revolution of our day.

Man no lodger sees his universe as static but as expanding and his new life will be styled around the city. His new mood is still one of confidence, but it is a confidence that embraces the fear and trembling he experiences when he takes upon himself the responsibility of shaping the future.

At the same time that this new Revolution is occurring we find that the technological, political and economic revolutions are coming to fruition in the non­western world. The warning issued is that taking any of these revolutions as conclusive is reducing life into only one of its aspects.

STANCE

Sensing the urgency of the times, the 20th century revolutionary sees himself as part of a "new breed" in history. This new breed sees man as unique, significant, and utterly free to shape the future. Recognizing their freedom, the new breed accepts the challenge of deciding to create history and assumes the imperatives necessary to carry ­out their decision:

FORMING NEW IMAGES ­­ From a comprehensive picture of the way things are the new breed dares to form new images of the way things will be.

ACTING ON BEHALF OF ALL MANKIND ­­ The new breed assumes representational responsibility for all men's lives.

EMBRACING THE FUTURE ­­ The new breed sees life as mission. Essential to the missional task is the use of fluid models used to move into the future.

COMBINING THE~'WORD AND THE DEED ­­ For the new breed knowledge and action are intrinsically linked; both are necessary for intentional living.

FURTHERING THE CIVILIZING PROCESS ­­ The new breed assumes responsibility for destroying irrelevant structures and creating new structures.

EMBRACING THE DIALECTICS OF OUR TIME ­­ The new breed dares to engage in action despite contradiction.

SOLUTION

Sensing the basic revolution of our times to be cultural we see the basic solution to the problems as the creation of new possibilities for humanness.

Basic to man's ability to see new possibilities is the image he holds of himself. Man must be aware of the world about him and must see that he is the maker of history. He must realize the burden of responsibility placed upon him and be conscious that a decision not to decide alters history.

Because man's images of himself come in part through the environment in which he lives, creating new structures which allow man to experience himself as a free, decisional creator of his own destiny is imperative. An entirely new understanding of the concept of city, of corporate life, and of world citizenship must be discovered.

CALL TO INVOLVEMENT

In the realization that history does not just happen, but that decisional men forge models for the future, we consciously and freely take upon ourselves the task of shaping new images of humanness and sound the alarm TO DARE TO BE.

The inclusive aim of the 20th century revolution is to create new dimensions in humanness. The goals involved in this creation are:

PUSHING BEYOND NATIONAL INTERESTS ­­ With the political realities that face man today it is clear that he must be comprehensive. He must thrust beyond national interests toward world solutions. To see this realized he must be about creating an effective world government.

CREATION OF A BASIC SUSTENANCE FOR ALL ­­ For the first time in history man has the means to eliminate poverty. We must develop structures for adequate distribution of the necessities of life to all peoples. This calls for a new life style which erases the distinction between the haves and the have nots and destroys the mind­set which sees luxury as a necessity and poverty as inevitable. In order that this style be one of freedom man must become clear on the nature of oppression. It is not only the man who pulls the cart but also the man who holds the whip who needs to understand the full significance of humanness.

ELIMINATION OF WAR ­­ The necessity for eliminating war is more urgent than­ever now that man has the means to destroy himself. World structures have to be developed to create new ways of solving world problems.

DEVELOP A MEANS OF PROVIDING ALL MEN WITH A COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION ­To live as an authentic person man needs an education that goes beyond today's fragmented specialization. A quick but basic education which provides the individual with the tools to escape from his provincialism and to overcome the communications blocks that exist between nations is needed.

CREATION OF A NEW CONCEPT OF WORK ­­ With today's technological society there is the necessity to expand the image of work into one of vocation. Through the new concept of vocation man must discover a way of dealing with the current understanding that adequate employment depends upon artificially stimulated consumption.

CREATION OF THE IMAGE OF THE WORLD CITIZEN ­­ Inherent in the creation of the world citizen is the appropriation of all the cultural' gifts of the world. Equally important are new images of the city and of the family, especially the roles of male and female.

A basic strategy uniting three aspects of approach has evolved as a tool for the twentieth century revolutionary. The aspects are cadre, education, and direct action. These attacks should be made simultaneously although each must begin with a cadre.

CADRE ­ Uniting lucid individuals in a mission­oriented, corporate body is one aspect of the strategy for accomplishing revolution.

EDUCATION FOR DECISION ­ Creating a climate for decision makers who will see themselves as pedagogues for the sake of all mankind is another aspect of the strategy for accomplishing revolution.

DIRECT ACTION ­ Taking on a specific cause, a "gut issue," such as the Viet Nam question, organizing a method of attack, and providing a model or context which incorporates the direction of future thrusts is a third aspect of the strategy for accomplishing revolution.

Three types of cadres are Professional (e.g. teachers' cadre), Neighborhood, and Project (a specialized thrust ­ e.g. Viet Nam action cadre). Each type may be residential or "dislocated", that is, members may share a corporate living situation or may be scattered across a community or a nation.

Formation of a cadre is accomplished in four steps. For example, a teacher cadre is formed when (1) the aware individuals gets a comprehensive picture of his particular school and community; (2) the individual approaches those he feels will respond with commitment; (3) the group forms a cadre; (4) the cadre forms a model by consensus.

A teacher's cadre may be utilized to establish mass and comprehensive education on a world level. A new curriculum will have to be established for general and specialized education.

The establishment of community centers and the appropriation of funds for development must be instituted.

Formation of cadres organized around a specific task may be necessary for developing a new concept of vocation. Cadres will have to be established by creation of a decision­making climate which will allow the individual­ to make personal commitment to the task.

Because of the breakdown of the family in urban culture the model of the family will have to be redefined. Education aimed at a covenental understanding of the family relationship must be initiated.

DISCIPLINE

Prologue

The revolutionary movement in history requires intentional person who decide to covenant themselves to a corporate life in order to accomplish a specific task. For this group of individuals to become a corporate body, structures must be created by which the community rehearses its self understanding, engages in study related to its task, orders its resources, and makes decisions. These structures constitute the rule of the corporate. body, and are created only for the purpose of performing that task which calls the body into being.

Rule

SYMBOLIC LIFE - For the community to be united in mission it must regularly remind itself if its reason for being through corporate and individual rituals.

STUDY ­ To gain comprehensive knowledge of the world and an aware. ness of the "edge" research related to the particular task, the community engages in both corporate and individual study.

TIME ­ Recognizing time as an unrecoverable resource, the community seriously plans the use of its time, for the immediate and distant future. In realizing the tension between the anticipated and the given, it remains free to change the plan.

GOODS ­ So that the economic resources of the community are direct toward its mission, it creates a comprehensive budget which includes a plan for the acquisition and spending of funds.

POLITY - Recognizing the need for organizational structures, the community delegates areas of responsibility to its members. Decision­making by consensus is essential for a mission­oriented body.

MISSION ­ The task is the determinant for all aspects of the corporate life as they are ordered in the rule.

Accountability

In order to accomplish the task, a covenantal group must develop a system of corporate and individual accountability to hold each member accountable for his actions in keeping the covenant.

Epilogue

For that group which anchors itself to a specific task, such a discipline is essential.

SYMBOL

Recognizing the power of symbols, the covenant group must determine appropriate symbols which hold before them their decision to be revolutionaries. Every revolution needs a common symbol around which to rally its forces.

To end war a mediating or "third" force should be established. The infiltrating of key groups, the organizing of a campus movement, and the summoning of world leaders will be essential.

A new world government calls for the effective use of existing structures, including international and national organizations and leaders.

ILLUSTRATION

An example of a revolution in our time is the creation of a third force. To initiate action in the development of a third force one would first recruit lucid individuals to form a cadre. Peace unions, church groups, civil rights organizations and young married couples' groups may be a source for recruitment.

After recruiting members it is necessary to establish a practical structure for educating the cadre members. "Hot lines" of communication can be set up with key leaders, teach­ins can be organized, and propaganda can be distributed in order to inform the cadre of the present situation.

The direct action of the cadre will be directed beyond the immediate models. The immediate thrust of the third force shall be to push beyond national interests, to eliminate war, and to create the image of the world citizen. In the long range plan the third force shall consider the goals in relation to sustenance, education and vocation.

The ­immediate function can be exemplified by direct action in relation to Viet Nam. The cadre may choose to send telegrams to key leaders, boycott industries, and/or send a boat to Viet Nam. In addition to responding to the crisis of today the cadre would be ever ready to move on to the next crisis.