Andreas Sparkuhl in Rhyolite, NV

After roughly 7 years of half-dedicated thought, Andreas Sparkuhl, Founder and President of the Universal Citizens Organization (UCO), has decided to get off his ass, and put a little more work into his company. “It’s been a long time coming. There’s a lot of work to do, and as an entrepreneur, it’s important to get that work done,” Sparkuhl said. “The past few years have been great. I’ve done a lot of thinking, and now those thoughts are ready to turn into something tangible.”

Sparkuhl founded the UCO in 2013. The concept of the company is to provide a common cultural platform for people to identify with, and subsequently, connect, create, and learn new skill sets that lead to an improved lifestyle. “To me, American culture has devolved into a entitlement-based culture. We are living in the age of the ‘Participation Trophy’ and I think a lot of people don’t like the direction that we are headed. My goal is to create a space where people of a common vein – a value-first vein – can collaborate. It’s all about meaningful experiences, and meaningful relationships.”

Membership for the UCO is nebulous. There are no barriers to join, and participation with the UCO is optional for its members, according to Sparkuhl. “Anyone can be a ‘Unizen,’ it’s not a private club, it’s an invitation. A Unizen is anyone who wants to grab life by the horns and give meaningful experiences a chance. It’s anyone who is tired of complacency, and wants to leverage their free will into something special. I’m just trying to give people something to reference, and a gathering hall so that you don’t feel like it’s a solo-ride. There are a lot of people like us that want this kind of lifestyle.”

Volume I – Gratitude is now available for readers to view. “Yeah, it’s still a very rough draft. I hope that it will always be a draft, that the finished version will never be achieved, because life is always changing, and so should the literature.” Gratitude is a 48 page booklet with ideas on paradigms for grateful living. It includes 20 activities that promote this grateful attitude. “Anyone can do the things listed in Gratitude. It’s really common-sense stuff.” Gratitude is available for digital download here, or a physical copy can be purchased on the Unizen Store here for $1.

Sparkuhl expects more developments and events to be revealed this Spring as he really puts his ass in motion. “Hopefully we will be having a lot of fun these next few weeks. I really hope so, because this work is going to kick my ass.”