A Manifesto for a New Dawn — A.R. Shafiee

A Manifesto for a New Dawn

A field guide to truth, agency, and meaningful work—without mysticism or empty optimism.

10-minute read · 4 movements · 3 core principles

Provocations for Thought

  1. Questions make us; answers only rent space.
  2. Choice is creation; every no funds a better yes.
  3. Uncertainty isn’t a bug; it’s where agency lives.
  4. Attention is the rarest capital—spend it like equity.
  5. Meaning scales with responsibility assumed.

Core Principles

Foundations for living deliberately

01

Radical Self-Examination

Audit beliefs quarterly. Kill one sacred cow per season.

02

Purposeful Action

Attach actions to values, not vibes. Ship, review, iterate.

03

Embrace Uncertainty

Hold models lightly; commitments firmly.

04

Stewardship of Attention

Guard inputs. Design your defaults. What you notice, you become.

05

Long-Horizon Loyalty

Prioritize people and projects you’ll still respect in ten years.

The Four Movements

See the pattern

Moments of clarity that shatter complacency and expose hidden costs.

Map the edges

Interrogate assumptions. Sample opposing views. Name trade-offs out loud.

Choose the rule set

Integrate insights into principles you can test, measure, and revise.

Ship. Accept consequences. Iterate.

Make it public. Gather feedback. Carry responsibility. Go again.

A Short Meditation

Reflection without deadlines breeds doubt. Action without reflection breeds damage. Alternate them on purpose.

— Notes on practice

About Me

I write about agency, attention, and meaningful work. This manifesto condenses two decades of study, practice, and conversations across tech and social impact. No mysticism—just decisions, consequences, and the habits that make them better.

A.R. Shafiee
Portrait of A.R. Shafiee wearing sunglasses and a patterned scarf

© A.R. Shafiee. All rights reserved.