EAT. FUCK. KILL. 

(programmed like coward robots) 

Where do we go from here? Where do we go as a species? As individuals? How do we progress in a positive manner from this demolition-derby civilization careening out of control? Wars wage and pandemics spread across the globe, bombs fly, buildings fall, pollution seeps, humans overpopulate while other species become extinct and natural resources dwindle at an accelerating pace, corporate quests for profit take control of more and more lives, the rich get richer, the oppressed keep struggling, and all of us suffer unnecessary tragedies again and again…until all we can do to bear it is bury our heads in the sand, consume, and get lost in the exhaust fumes. But even still, the question keeps on resurfacing: where do we go from here? And with it, once again, comes that nagging sense of despair. You can see it in the concrete wasteland of every desolate strip mall, in the sullen pout of every oppressed wage slave, the desperate embrace of every cheating lover, and in the sweat on the brow of every cop and politician realizing a situation is about to explode out of their control. 

And so, the question is still, as always: where do we go from here? Is a better world worth fighting for? Are you worth fighting for? The answers to these questions are right here: all around and yes, within us. They lay waiting in the potential each of us discovers we can fulfill, in the goals and dreams that become fully realized. They lay dormant in the hearts and minds of all the ‘regular’ people (just like you and I) who haven’t yet begun to live outside the lines of thoughtless competition and overconsumption. They’re idling just below the drudgery of everyday routine and inertia, waiting to accelerate when someone takes back control of their own life and shares it with others, who repeat the process. In fact, if one took the time to notice, s/he would see little communities of cooperation and passionate existence in every crowded city and stifling suburb. Also visible would be the countless tiny rebellions in one’s own life—after all, do you follow every speed limit, every meaningless social norm, every attempt by someone other than you to tell you what to do or how to be? But still, where do we go from here? Could this project be an answer? Could the mere process of creating and sharing it be an answer as well? What other answers exist, and how to find them? What’s behind all these questions anyway? 

For starters, there’s the concept that this project is only one answer in a sea of infinite answers and possibilities. Now that it’s found its way into your hands, don’t waste its (or your) potential—I’d rather that every copy of this artwork be burned to keep warm by inspired freedom fighters than sit unused on dusty shelves of miserable rat racers out chasing the Next Big (No)Thing. Figure out what this is worth to you, form your own questions, and then actively seek your own answers. A better world and a better life are possible if enough people take the time and effort to do just this, but don’t take mine or anyone else’s word for it—find out for yourself. 

Sincerely, Nick Baxter 

(EAT) 

War on our bodies and our health, waged by our own appetites. Separated from the torture and death that we create. Greed turns living creatures into commodities, and sells us the escape from our despair in the form of intoxication. Internalized violence, subconscious self-hatred, ‘the path to self worth is consumption.’ 

(FUCK) 

War on our emotions and desires, waged by our own unreal expectations perpetuated by the fallacy of consensus reality. Chasing a fantasy for fulfillment, sex and sexuality are co-opted by commercial and economic interests. The unattainable image, hypocritical promiscuity—the beauty and love that already exists all around us languishes in the shadows. 

(KILL) 

War on the faceless Others, waged with no end in sight. Blinded from the lessons of cause and effect by self-righteous arrogance, the cycle of bloodshed goes round and round. Capitalize on fear to ensure economic growth—create the problem, punish the consequences. 

( )? 

War on our minds, waged by corporations through mass media. Mass distraction and disinformation. The means of communication are co-opted by advertising interests. Passivity enforced by the displacement of activity, the creators of our discontent broadcast it back to us—we are sold our own alienation. 

Where do we go from here? 

Observe and analyze tirelessly, critique mercilessly, learn and know yourself, build up your health, deprogram your behavior in order to rediscover your truest desires and motives, act on them without apprehension, face down and conquer your fears, share everything, be understanding, intertwine your happiness with others’, cooperate to solve problems, form mutually beneficial relationships, love without limits or boundaries and appreciate without standards, deconstruct hierarchies, have fun, revel in nature, appreciate the Earth that keeps you alive, realize your interconnectedness with everyone and everything around you, find alternative sources of information, make your own decisions, be wise through gaining experiences rather than things, live within your means to avoid wasteful overconsumption, reduce, reuse, recycle, demystify and deglamorize the false power of money by living frugally or using it like it doesn’t matter (because it doesn’t), do whatever it takes, do it now.