The Bozo Creed

In the 1970's a group of friends united by a common love of humor, philosophizing, alcohol, assorted drugs, and the college student lifestyle that enabled  them to camp out around wilderness campfires through most of their University years, got together and wrote down some principles to live by...or not.

For several decades this tract put together from various hallucinatory visions and most excellent conversations, was lost. It made a brief appearance in a student magazine sometime in the mid 80's at a college near the extreme border from which it first emerged.

Then it disappeared once more when the institution funding the publication decided they didn't want to pay for as much free speech as they ordered. So upon discovering their hunger was more easily satisfied with soft food and compliant and officially sanctioned "civil" disobedience,  said institution heaped the first shovel of invisible cloaking dirt over its much too honest carcass.

But like the lovable zombie of fond youthful memories, it rose up again at the celebration of one of its members officially entering the age of geezerhood, where it was shared to an audience appreciation of disobedience that wasn't civil.

In honor of that special occasion, please help spread its message far and wide in as many languages as possible to share the true meaning of its words. Or not.


The Bozo Creed

1. All bozos, by the very fact of the bozoness, have the option of creating our own creed.

2. A bozo is only one bozo, regardless of how many followers we profess to have. We can never be more or less than one bozo.

3. A bozo is only a bozo when we recognize we are a bozo. Before or after such a recognition, we are still only a bozo; only a bozo in this sense can be said to be in a state of bozo bozoness.

4. A bozo is no better and no worse than any other bozo. We have no labels, descriptions, or definitions, so we can only be a bozo like all other bozos. There are no superior or inferior bozos because the essence of bozoness does not take into consideration anything other than pure bozoness.

5. A bozo has no past or future as such things only serve as crutches on which others walk when they cannot accept what they see in front of their eyes. To give a bozo past or future is to label us with your own personal bozo biases. Every bozo has been born with the right to begin our life from whichever point we feel most comfortable with. If the point does not exist, so much the better, for each bozo is born with, and is proud of our madness.

6. Whatever a bozo has to say, no matter how outrageous it may seem, should be taken in the same manner as if it made perfect sense, for if we start to judge what is sane and what is not sane, we deny the essence of bozoness within ourselves.

7. Each bozo, by the fact of our bozoness, does not involve ourselves with debilitating manias such as: responsibility, common sense, maturity, or social obligations. By our bozoness, we are protected from having to become involved in status games or prestige occupations, as bozoness is all the assurance we need to survive authentically.

8. A bozo accepts that which touches the spirit and remains detached from that which does not. A bozo cannot, without betraying our bozoness, become involved in issues which do not touch the soul deeply and personally. A bozo cannot even become involved in those things which do touch us, as a bozo cannot place ourselves in the position of being judge to any action without expecting our actions to judge us in return.

9. As bozos, we accept our madness. If we cannot, we must leave it alone and not attempt to tamper with its absurdity, for the day will come when we must accept it or die.

10. A bozo laughs with life because we realize that as long as our own eyes are open, that is enough. We cannot expect more or less.

11. A bozo expects nothing and is prepared for everything.

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The Bozo Creed