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buster

Buster Benson

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Unified theory of extraordinary living
speaker
buster
January 14th, 2007
Here is the first draft of the 11 Commandments of Buster McLeod.
  1. You must have good intentions.
  2. You must admit to being the maker of meaning.
  3. You must not feel sorry for yourself.
  4. You must have a vision that you are striving for.
  5. You must tie creativity and experimentation with survival.
  6. You must be the change.
  7. You must rally others with your vision.
  8. You must not dilly-dally.
  9. You must stake your reputation on your better self.
  10. You must be responsible for your own failure and success.
  11. You must be comfortable with big failure.
I want to explain each of these ideas in more detail, but I'm still working on the exact list.  Some might be combined.  And some of them probably don't make sense yet  without further explanation.  But I think this sums up the lessons I've learned from self-help, meditation, Landmark, half-marathons, entrepreneurship, and McLeod in the year or so.  Am I full of shit?  Say so.  And what am I missing?
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ingopixel
2007-01-14 09:51 pm (UTC)
it's awesome and terrifying. in a good way. i hope i'm up to the challenge too.
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buster
2007-01-14 10:03 pm (UTC)
Yay, yes, you're up for the challenge. Which ones seem the most difficult to you?
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lele
2007-01-14 10:08 pm (UTC)
defining good intentions, i think, and remembering to have good intentions after you've defined them.
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buster
2007-01-14 10:15 pm (UTC)
yeah, that was the last one i added... because i had 10 and then i tried to imagine following them all and realized that i could still have a selfish and abusive vision and ruin people's lives and follow all the rules. that ain't right. the good intentions are what determine if you're weak or if you're strong, small or big, i think.
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lele
2007-01-14 10:20 pm (UTC)
so good intentions means that you're trying to benefit other people's lives? i think i can remember that for the big life goals, but i often forget in the day-to-day.
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buster
2007-01-14 10:28 pm (UTC)
I think it means that you interact with people honestly and don't try to take advantage of them. It doesn't mean you have to be nice all the time, just that you tell them that you don't like them if you don't like them. Maybe it's more that your actions and words reflect your intentions... good or bad. ???
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gaijinrunner
2007-01-19 04:40 pm (UTC)
more people should follow "your actions and words reflect your intentions". i am trying to live my life in that way. it's better for your health.
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ingopixel
2007-01-14 11:40 pm (UTC)
not feeling sorry for myself. which i think also encapsulates not feeling small and powerless. that's really scary and i'm not sure how to do it.

also defining a vision. i get caught up in specificity vs. generality, which is more important?
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(Anonymous)
2007-01-15 05:02 am (UTC)
I think a vision is more of a story or a movie than a list of details specific and general. A vision is something that you can see. That you can feel yourself moving around in, and exploring, long before it's real. So it's both specific and general. I know that I want to live in a giant factory that builds projects with friends, and I know that I want to eat a breakfast sandwich every morning.
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ingopixel
2007-01-15 09:26 pm (UTC)
i think i've always operated under the notion that if i don't define my vision, i'll never be disappointed by not getting what i want. how can you fail if you never try, right? it's just so safe and boring. i'd love to change that in theory, but the real prospect of it makes me freeze up and get all sweaty.
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good list

interimlover
2007-01-15 05:49 am (UTC)
once these are nailed down, I expect to see them engraved in stone tablets and placed on display in the residence.
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fambai
2007-01-15 06:24 pm (UTC)
thank you for being so inspiring!
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euphorbia
2007-01-15 06:33 pm (UTC)
Fantastic! Inspiring indeed.
No, not full of shit, as long as you can implement them all. but all of them all the time - that is quite a challenge!
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yay!

(Anonymous)
2007-01-15 08:54 pm (UTC)
I'm in! that's very inspiring...and terrifying! one step short of a 12-step program for curing mediocrity.
~Degan.
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kellianne
2007-01-16 03:14 pm (UTC)
you've itemized something that i've been trying to express for some time. i think it all makes sense. it's good to have friends with a similar mindset who can think with more scientific leaning.
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buster
2007-01-16 07:52 pm (UTC)
i'm far from scientific, but yes i think there is a similar mindset amongst us and the more we talk about it the closer we get to figuring out whatever it is that our mindset is trying to figure out.
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kellianne
2007-01-17 02:11 am (UTC)
when i say scientific i mean more logically organized. while your thinking may be far from scientific to some people (scientists for example), it's leans much further towards the science side of things than it does my side of things.... (i think i'm on the flaky and fractured side).

whatever way, kudos.
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octavekitten
2007-01-16 03:15 pm (UTC)
i am patiently waiting for the explanations.
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buster
2007-01-16 07:53 pm (UTC)
damn you can't call my bluff like that. :) actually, i submitted a manifesto to changethis.com... if they accept it i'll be forced to elaborate a bit.
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xarcadia
2007-01-16 04:17 pm (UTC)
This list is incredible. I want to print it out and put it in my cube.
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mizrobot
2007-01-16 09:05 pm (UTC)
I like your manifesto too. :)
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(Anonymous)
2007-04-12 07:36 pm (UTC)
I really like your list, but I think you left out a crucial "commandment." You must remember to PLAY.
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Hello.


I changed my name from Erik Benson to Buster McLeod on the flip of a coin in September of 2006. When I got married on Oct 4th, 2008, I changed it again to Buster Benson. I live in Seattle, WA. I was previously a co-founder of The Robot Co-op (self-help internet startup) and McLeod Residence (art gallery and bar). Now I work on stuff related to Enjoymentland. I once wrote a book called Man Versus Himself. I believe life is art. I believe in doubling down on big living, big loving, big risk, and big change.

I have a manifesto of 12 things you can do to make your life more interesting. They are:

1. You must not dilly-dally.
2. You must be your word.
3. You must have good intentions.
4. You must admit to being the maker of meaning.
5. You must not feel sorry for yourself.
6. You must have a vision that you are striving for.
7. You must tie creativity and experimentation with survival.
8. You must be the change.
9. You must rally others with your vision.
10. You must stake your reputation on your better self.
11. You must be responsible for your own failure and success.
12. You must be comfortable with big failure.
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