Occupy Yourself: How To Fight Corporatism

You Say You Want A Revolution An Open Letter to the Occupation “Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.” - Edward R. Murrow “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” - Martin Luther King Jr. I want to make it clear, this is not a proposal for the OWS to take on as an organization. This is not a proposal for what I think these protests should turn into. This is an offer of direction to the individuals that may justifiably be attracted to the OWS Protest, and even to those in the TEA Party. This is an offer of direction for those who are frustrated with the system and want to do something about it. The good news is, there is a lot you can do as an individual, as a family, a community, or even as a group. This might sound strange, but I am here to tell you that you are already in power. I'm here to tell you there

You Say You Want A Revolution

An Open Letter to the Occupation

“Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.” – Edward R. Murrow

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

I want to make it clear, this is not a proposal for the OWS to take on as an organization. This is not a proposal for what I think these protests should turn into. This is an offer of direction to the individuals that may justifiably be attracted to the OWS Protest, and even to those in the TEA Party. This is an offer of direction for those who are frustrated with the system and want to do something about it.

The good news is, there is a lot you can do as an individual, as a family, a community, or even as a group.

This might sound strange, but I am here to tell you that you are already in power. I’m here to tell you there is no one to fight against, and nothing in your way, other than yourself and the limitations you may have put upon yourself, or let other convince you of.

You Are Rich

http://www.globalrichlist.com/

If you make over $47,500 a year you are the 1% to the rest of the world.

If you make over $25,130 a year you are the top 10% to the rest of the world.

What if the world decided to really join this revolution, would you still be the 99%? Would you even be the 90%?

Remember, it’s not just how much you make, but think about how much you get, or consume. How much loans did you take? What were you able to buy with that?

Did you get $50,000 worth of education?

Do you drive a $30,000 car?

The Fallacy of Living Costs

Let’s address the fallacy most rich Americans, most of the true 1%, like to make. “But the cost of living is different in other countries.” The reason why it costs more to live in San Francisco than in does in San Miguel is that more people want to live in San Francisco. Why? Because of access to amenities, luxuries, the system of government, the infrastructure you have access to, the quality of land, of entertainment, of food…

The reason why it costs more is because, from materialistic (and many non-materialistic) reasons, it is better.

By saying you are not rich because it cost less to live in poor countries, is like a person driving a new $50,000 car saying they aren’t rich because a poor person could buy a old used car for $500.

Are both cars equal?

To the rest of the world, you’re the one driving the $50,000 lifestyle.

Are you the [real] 1%?

If so, what if the rest of the World put the blame on you, the same way you put the blame on the American 1% (and what if they themselves said it was really the .1% that were the problem)? What would that solve? What would that get done? What would that fix?

At some point we all need to stop pushing the blame onto others and do what we can to make the world a better place. Not lobby others, but do what we can do, as individuals and communities, now; without a vote, without a debate, without consent, and be confident in that, and in what we can accomplish if we just continue to work together.

The Omega Male and the Non-Hierarchical Society

“…[G]rant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

“Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking [this] world
as it is, not as I would have it.”

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Solutions

“You say you want a Revolution.” – The Beatles

“Even those who fancy themselves the most progressive will fight against other kinds of progress, for each of us is convinced that our way is the best way.” – Louis L’Amour

If what you want to do is disrupt Corporatism then I can show you how to do that.

If what you want to do is end the wars then I can show you how to do that.

But be sure that is what you want.

Don’t reject the solutions given to you when you stand there asking for solutions.

I am here to help you.

If you just want to complain, I can’t help you.

If you actually want to solve the problems of the world, then I can.

Occupy Yourself

“Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

“This country has far more problems than it deserves and far more solutions than it applies.” – Ralph Nader

You have the choice of what you will spend your day doing, what you will use your energy and attention doing. You can occupy your mind with the problems of the world, or you can occupy yourself with working on the solutions.

If you are ready, and if you are willing to accept and act upon the actual solutions to the world problems, then here they are.

If you want to remove the influence of Wall Street and “Money” on Politics then you must disrupt the special interests’ access to government, at least for a little while.

There are two ways you can do this as a voter, and they are very specific:

Help elect Ron Paul as the Republican Nominee, and as President.

Help elect the Green Party to as many offices as possible.

End The War: Ron Paul for President/Green Party for Congress – 2012

“People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it” – Edith Schaeffer

Is Ron Paul perfect? No. But the Republican Party Establishment him, the mainstream media hates him, and he will disrupt Wall Street and special interest influence over government, at least for a while. Might he become corrupt? That’s always a possibility, but there will be another election in 2016, and we can just do this again (and I think he is well aware of how quickly his base will leave if he betrays them). And if we help build the Green Party, maybe in 2016 they’ll have a chance at the White House.

Is the Green Party perfect? Of course not. But the establishment hates them. Democrats hate them. Corporations hate them. They will disrupt Corporate influence of public policy. They will fight for the people, and have for nearly 30 years. We all like to see a independent political system, but If we want to disrupt the stagnant two-party system now, we need to build a third party. The Green Party has been building for decades, and with our help, they are fully capable of taking a seat in Congress next year and establishing themselves as the true opposition party.

Beyond Politics

“To fight the Empire is to be infected by its derangement … Whoever defeats the Empire becomes the Empire; it proliferates like a virus … thereby it becomes its enemies.” – Philip K. Dick

Political action isn’t enough. Positions of power will always attract those who wish to use power to benefit themselves, or corrupt those who would use it to help others. It is not who is in power that is the problem, it is power itself, more specifically; the consolidation of power. And thus, the true Revolution is something more than a change of system, or a change of leadership, or even a change of policy.

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” - Niccolo Machiavelli

The true Revolution is a change of how to regard the world around you, how to regard your place in it, and how to choose to use the power that you do have. After all, if you are reading this, you are likely the top 1%, if anything, you are the top 10%.

If you are reading this, you are in Power.

If you are reading this, you are the Revolution.

And if you want the solutions, I have already written them down.

2012 Enlightenment Theory: A World of Abundance and Self-Governance

If you are familiar with Permaculture, know how to garden, and plant food, find people who have unused backyards and offer them to help put together a garden. This will undermine Big Agriculture and Monsato. This will help save you and those you share the food with money.

If you are familiar with Linux, find people who use their computer for non-professional uses and offer to help them convert to Linux. This will undermine Microsoft and Apple. This will save you and others money and/or the need to pirate software.

If you know Yoga, QiGong, or Tai-Chi, offer to teach it to people. This will fight the health-industry. This will relieve tension and anxiety and increase the health of those you teach to.

Look into Open Source Ecology, the potentials of 3D Printing, Herbalism, Rainwater Harvesting, Grey Water Systems, and all the other technologies and practices that help free mankind from centralized industry and economies, from hierarchy and government control.

If you want to fight the Empire, work on freeing People from it.

We Are 100%

“Imagine all the people…” – John Lennon