The Fungus Manifesto

We are fungus.

WE GROW!
Our growth is slow. Our growth is resolute.
Our growth confronts us, exposes us, and reclaims us.
We are all capable of growth.
(When was the last time we allowed ourselves to grow?)

We are fungus.

WE GROW IN WAYS THAT CANNOT BE MEASURED.
We grow in our thoughts, in our hearts, and in our love.
WE GROW WHERE WE CANNOT BE OBSERVED.
We flourish under cover of moonlight to bloom brightest at dawn.

We are fungus.

WE DON’T CONSUME, WE DECOMPOSE.
To consume is to hunger, not to feed.
To decompose is to fully honour that which also nourishes us.
SLOW DIGESTION PROMOTES SLOW GROWTH.
We must be…
Present.
Critical.
Supportive.
Flexible.
Firm.
Curious.
And above all, kind.

We are fungus.

WE CULTIVATE OUR COMMUNITY.
We are responsible for the company we keep. We work and care to maintain them. We seek out and expel that which threatens us.
WEEDING IS AN ACT OF LOVE!
We pluck out bad actors, protect our most vulnerable, and push back against those who only wish to foment seeds of destruction.

We are fungus.

We live and thrive as a collective.
OUR GROWTH MUST ALSO RAISE THOSE AROUND US.
If all we do is cast shade, our peers will simply seek warmth elsewhere.
MONOCULTURE IS DEATH.
Homogeneity is the surest path to erosion and rot.
Diversify or die.

We are fungus.

WE DEFY EASY CLASSIFICATION.
We challenge those who are quick to label us. Including ourselves.

We are many.
We are none.
We are one.

WE ARE FUNGUS.

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N.B.: I had a username with the word “fungus” in it based off of a quote from the Super Mario Bros movie. I liked it enough to keep it and alter it to this site’s title. I started thinking on it more, trying to spin it into something of a philosophy, and ended up going the manifesto route. Something about the smallness and tranquility of fungi mixed with the immediacy and vitality of a manifesto appealed to me. It was a fun exercise in style and tone.

Special thanks to Stephanie Trapid and Kelly Hornung for the feedback and support.