The Zeitgeist Movement Manual

Overview

This document was created for the purpose of explaining how to create a detailed and understandable sense of awareness (of The Zeitgeist Movement) for the global population through audio, visual, and interactive mediums.

1: An Introduction

If you are reading this, you are making a difference. You know that something is very wrong with the world today. You look around, and see that darkness clouds over the trees, skyscrapers, fields, and people among you. You feel it is your duty to instill that light, that love that this world is missing right now.

This is not a communist manifesto. This is not a socialist manifesto. We are not a radical terrorist group, and we are not preparing to combat a New World Order. Are there people controlling us today? To an extent, yes. But there should never be an “us versus them” mentality among the movement. If all of the “global elite” were to vanish from their positions of power today, would we be completely free? Of course not. It would only be a matter of time until new people began to fight one another for positions at the top of the pyramid.

“We can continue to stomp on the ants coming out from under the refrigerator, but until we remove the spoiled food behind it, they are just going to keep coming.” - Peter Joseph

A question may come to mind now, “How do we remove this spoiled food?”

If I gave you a solution, most likely, you would either blindly follow it, or argue against it. Both reactions are irrational and only create obstacles in the path we follow to remove the causes.

The solution can only be found within yourself and others. I invite you to understand what the movement is truly about by watching Zeitgeist: The Movie and Zeitgeist: Addendum. You are also encouraged to join The Zeitgeist Movement, and gather information from many helpful members found on the forums, the IRC channel, and other various places around the Internet.

Also remember that truth is never learned, it is only realized. Do not assume all information you receive is pure truth. It is much safer to assume all information is false until proven with fact. Educate yourself, help yourself, then seek to help others.

That is what The Zeitgeist Movement is about.

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

2: Personal Action

Let go of everything you have learned. Think back, and imagine you are being born. What were you taught? What did you believe to be true or false? Do you still believe the same things today? How do others feel about what you believe?

Remember that you are human. Regardless of what you were taught throughout your life, you still share a connection with every human on Earth. The differences between ourselves are trivial compared to our similarities.

Accept that not everything you have learned is true. This is not a call for skepticism, it is a call for open-mindedness, a call for you to question and prove what you have learned, and what you are learning.

Solve problems in your life before you help others. If you have a health issue, research it and find out what you can do. If you have a mental or social issue, identify it and find a solution. Remember that you are never alone. This is not selfishness, it is improvement so you may help others to improve.

Become a leader. Past movements with the leader and follower structure were often unsuccessful, and resulted in a lack of unity. Create unity by leading people, and then showing them how to lead. This will create a compounding sense of awareness among others over time.

Choose love over fear. Realize that the only reason you could ever not love something, is that you simply do not know enough about it. People fear what they do not know. Learn to love, and love to learn. Movements with a basis of hate are not effective.

3: Face-To-Face Approach

Presenting Ideas
The very first rule of presenting ideas of The Zeitgeist Movement to people who are not aware, is to always be respectful, and do not force ideas on them. If they casually question society, seem open-minded, or display similar characteristics to those examples shown above, suggest an idea. For example, if he/she says shelter or food is more expensive these days, casually suggest The Venus Project as an alternative.

If he/she recognizes your opinions and respects them, as you do to him/her, give them information on how they can learn more about the movement and what we are doing. A good way to do this is show him/her how he/she can access the Zeitgeist movies and the Zeitgeist Movement.

If he/she denies your information or argues with you, listen to their opinions, take them into consideration, and let them know you understand how he/she feels. If he/she accepts your information, thank them for understanding and taking an interest. Realize that opening your mind to new ideas is very tough. Regardless of the outcome – Congratulations! You have made a difference .

Defending Ideas
If you feel that a person is just misinterpreting you, and you feel like you should defend your suggestions, remember a few things.

A discussion is more effective than a debate.
Some people's beliefs can not be changed in a day.
Peace and love is stronger than conflict and insult.

4: Small Group Action

Communication
Before beginning to create mass awareness, the group must first come up with an objective. Often this objective is to simply make as many people aware of the The Zeitgeist Movement as possible. However, there may be certain constraints such as time, a specific group of people, location, etc. Make sure the group knows the objective, and is constantly in communication with each other through radio, voice, signals, or some form of cooperation.

Formation
Small mobs of people are often detested and ignored. Simply standing in a group and shouting will get you nowhere. Know what sections of your area contain the highest amount of people, and place a certain number of members there accordingly. The most effective operations are the ones that are short, precise, and efficient. If executed correctly, your “mediums” (see next section) should speak louder than you. Remember that actions are louder than words.

Mediums
Standing in one place, shouting one message, is too ineffective to ever create change. Use your resources to convey your message so that you may move on to another location. The following is a list of suggestions for mediums:

Visual Boards: (Signs, Posters, Videos on public TVs, etc.)
Informational Tools: (Handouts, Flyers, DVDs, anything with information.)
Audio Messages: (PA System/Phone messages, Public speeches, etc.)
Interactive Mediums: (Anything involving people's willing participation)
Viral Messages: (YouTube videos, Phrases, ex. “Why So Serious?”)
Public Stunts: (Large, effective, noticeable stunts. Read below.)
Your idea. To truly create mass awareness, you must let go of all boundaries.

5: Large Group Action

Note: This section was formed based on the guidelines of “Small Group Action”, and is adapted to suit the characteristics of groups with a great number of people.

Communication II
The principles of objective, constraint, and cooperation remain the same. In large groups, a misinterpretation of communication is more likely – this can be avoided by either assigning a certain section of people a certain objective (Example: Group 1 makes a 5 minute speech at location 1, Group 2 posts 10 amount of flyers at location 2, etc.). or assigning one short objective to the entire group, then assigning a rendezvous point (Example: All members post 20 posters at location within a certain amount of time, then meet at location 2)

Formation II
The principles of area, and S.P.E. (Short, Precise, Efficient) remain the same. The only difference between formation options of small groups and formation options of large groups, is that large groups are noticed by many more people if used correctly. The tactic of using a “mob” in various ways becomes an effective option once the group of members is large enough to be noticed (50 or more people is a general guideline, there are ways of making a few people seem like many. Use common sense when considering this tactic.)

Mediums II
The principle of using mediums to convey a message remains the same. Remember that your mediums are limited only by your imagination – the more ridiculous it seems, the more likely it is to gain a massive amount of attention. This logic is the foundation for public stunts.

Public Stunts
These are the actions that gain mainstream media attention, the actions that people do not forget for years. This can range from dropping large amounts of money from a building, (along with an equal amount of Zeitgeist flyers and such) to freezing simultaneously in an open place (see “Credits” page). This is where creativity lives.

6: Public Speaking

Treat every person like an individual. Every person is different, so every person will accept and refuse different things. It is your job to find out what these things are while speaking, and act accordingly.

Use your hands to act out what you are saying. Don't go crazy, just make enough movement to get the point across. There are times where standing still is appropriate, but sometimes you must be a little animated in order for the crowd to respect you.

Let people ask their own questions at random. The 9/11 Truth Movement slogan comes to mind: Ask Questions. Demand Answers. This is very true - if you speak without allowing others to speak, they will assume you are just feeding them knowledge they don't always want to hear.

Do unexpected things to grab attention. This guideline speaks for itself. People like interesting people. However, don't overdo it, and always abide by the law. Know what you are getting into before you get into it.

Know when to be loud, and when to be quiet. Silence is golden. Any number of people shouting at once does not convey a very effective message. Quick changes in volume often grab people's attention. Remember this attention may not always be positive - it will not always be negative, either.

Know what you are talking about. This is the most important guideline. We have all seen people speaking about things they recently learned, acting like an expert. Your reputation is essential when it comes to public speaking, and if you do not have a good reputation, people will not listen to you. All you have to do is back up what you are saying with fact. This will prevent you from being labeled a conspiracy theorist.

7: Tips

"The integrity of an individual can only stretch as far as the integrity of the community. An organism at war with itself is doomed." - Brandon K., AKA FusionHalo

"We must cooperate today to make a better future for ourselves tomorrow." - Nanos

Credits

Thanks to Peter Joesph, without whom The Zeitgeist Movement may never have existed.
Thanks to everyone in The Zeitgeist Movement. Keep making a difference.
Thanks to People.
Thanks to ImprovEverywhere for the idea of freezing in places.
Thanks to the U.S. Army. Your field manuals were a huge inspiration for this document.
Thanks to Tyger, your combat tactics continue to inspire my everyday life.
Thanks to Guerilla Marketing. Your tactics were also a big inspiration for this manual.
Thanks to ArtsFantasy, your insight played a huge part in creating Face-To-Face Approach.
Thanks to You.
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Originally posted by Ben Taylor here