I like to think of me as an explorer of sorts, as some kind of adventurer that goes on clearing out the way for the rest of us, opening up unforeseen paths and finding meaningful patterns where others see only noise.

Elevating Culture. Contextualising technology. Revealing artefacts.
Exposing rituals. Designing forward.

Probably that has plenty to do with the fact that I grew up watching Harrison Ford bringing Indiana Jones to life, and that at the time I couldn’t think of any other better way of making use of the time we spend on Earth — and I still believe it.

The main difference between then and now, between Indiana Jones and me (there’s more than one, obviously, besides the Nazis, adventures in the jungle and good looking characters, but bear with me for a bit) is that while Jones was in far off places digging up and discovering precious treasures of the past, I set out to dig up and discover nebulous portions of the future hidden in plain sight, around us, also in far off places.

— The Compass
When you’re out in the unknown, you kind of need to have an appetite for purposeful transient wandering and a well-developed sense of direction. Identifying points of reference, understanding timing and being sensitive to cultural awareness are good for orientation, too.

To help me in this endeavour, I have created my own personal compass. The main purpose of it, just like any other, is to help me not to get lost while going places. Every now and then I check it to make sure I’m following the right course while navigating what we call the human existence.

This compass is part of me in two very different forms: one being visible and one invisible, and both are equally valuable. The visible one is on my skin, tattooed on my right shin. The invisible one is a set of beliefs, an intangible collection of ideas that embody what I understand is necessary to have a meaningful existence. A manifesto of sorts that summarizes how I live the everyday.

As with anything else, my compass is just a tool. Something to benchmark your position against, so the value lies not in the thing itself but in the function it provides and how skilled one is at reading it. It’s based on a subjective outlook of life, and highly susceptible to personal interpretation, so take it for what it’s worth. I’m sharing it with you now, should you find it useful, interesting or stimulating:

— Question Everything

Trust your intuition and listen to your instinct.
Be brave. Be bold. Stay off the beaten track.
Never excuse yourself or blame the situation.
Accept the good. Have fun, as much as you can.
Be nice to people and care about your surroundings.
Listen carefully, pay attention and shut up about yourself.
Stay awake. Eat food. Drink water. Keep it simple.
Travel light and travel far.
Carry just what’s necessary, but not less.
Be like sponge, absorb what you can.
Be like mirror, reflect what you see.
Understand your duties and be responsible for them.
Understand what’s happening and what needs to happen.
Don’t rush and never forget your most valuable asset,
yourself.