EMERGENCE
"All revolutions begin as a fundamentally aesthetic break. Behind this aesthetic must come an artistic movement. The easiest path to aesthetic dominance is mere truth. The first step […] is an aesthetic vision so strong, true and clear that it dominates and intimidates the stale old aesthetics of the 20th century. The world cannot be won by force. She must be seduced by greatness."
—Curtis Yarvin
emergence, N. : the act or an instance of emerging : newly formed or prominent
Return, renew, re-enchant
Counterpoints to Decivilization
In the midst of a spiritually hostile society ensconced within a larger world of moral anarchy, the violent conflagrations that characterize our age urgently demand a restoration of human dignity and decency — which must necessarily be realized through a return to those traditions and institutions that have served to ennoble and sanctify the lives of fallen creatures over millenia.
One such tradition, of course, is storytelling; for it is through stories that the spiritual dimension of the human person is affirmed. Stories not only renew the spirit but serve humanity as transcendental guideposts, having done so for time immemorial. At the individual level, such narratives are how we come to understand ourselves and reality; and at the level of a culture, Flannery O’Connor expressed it best: a people is known by the stories it tells. Tragically, today’s stories, borne of the zeitgeist’s all-pervading nihilism, do not reflect the eternal; and that which is not eternal is eternally out of date. Thus, timely — eternal — stories that renew the spirit are desperately needed, providing a powerful impetus to recover that central but subtle factor that gave Western Civilization its remarkable dynamism: its clear Christian ambience.
Understanding this — and that what matters most in life is played out in the dimensions of community and tradition — five years ago we stepped out in faith to found an enterprise that would operate at the intersection of art, media, and entrepreneurship; and in so doing, we would earn the right to gather the best creative and commercial minds to conceive of new stories that meet the moment and re-enchant the imagination, catalyzing, thereby, a return to community and tradition through the power of the moving picture. We are well on our way, but to get to the next level new committed stakeholders must join us. Simply, we need you.
Enlighten, Elevate, Entertain
Engagement Terms for the Good Fight
As Chesterton wrote, there is great joy in fighting, that this world can be made beautiful again by beholding it as a battlefield. Team Manalive has embraced this belief, endeavoring, joyfully and mightily, on the “battlefield” of media entertainment over the last five years — learning, building, and, ultimately, solidifying an enterprise foundation from which to lead a storytelling renaissance at this perilous time in the West.
To this end, we must engage in the Manalive cause “God’s spies” — those genuine, joyful, and courageous persons of goodwill who recognize the link between time and eternity, and whose gifts of time, talent, and treasure will not only further illuminate the reality that what we do in life echoes down through the ages, but do so by bringing to life stories that enlighten the mind, elevate the spirit, and entertain the sacred.
The following details how you can engage in the Manalive cause alongside us:
Evangelist: Promotes the Manalive mission within personal constituency.
Pursuivant: Engages in organizational miscellany to advance the Manalive mission.
Treasurer: Invests in our inaugural project and/or enterprise development slate.
Liaison: Facilitates introductions to “Evangelists,” “Pursuivants,” and “Treasurers.”
time, talent, treasure
Tragic Optimists Fight Losing Battle—Successfully
As the late English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist Malcolm Muggeridge often conveyed, history is nothing less than a parable whereby God communicates in terms that the imagination rather than the mind, faith rather than knowledge, can grasp. At Manalive we not only understand this perspective, it anchors our prudence and providence enterprise strategy, as well as our creative muse, and is manifest through the projects we are developing, stories we know to be greatly needed now.
Thus, what we have presented throughout the Manalive Media Group website (our strategic “calling card”) and within this creative and commerical prospectus not only conveys how Team Manalive views reality — as a Theo-drama, and within which (echoing Dostoyevsky) we understand the awful thing: that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible, and that God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man — but provides a practical “battle plan” for our cause to nourish the soul through stories of a decidedly moral persuasion, aiming not just to shine a light on what is beautiful, good, and true, but reignite the flames of a lost tradition that gives form to and nourishes Western Civilization.
Lastly, echoing Bob Dylan’s song “Gotta Serve Somebody”, our lives are lived in service or sacrifice. And as Chesterton wrote, man must be either a hero or a coward. So, though our times are dark, a small group of people bound together by a sense of mission can change the world for the better. To engage your time, talent, and treasure with us now provides just such an opportunity to reflect this truth.
“And the fire and the rose are one.”
—T.S. Eliot
