[Street] [Occupybostonoutreach] Dear Occupy Boston, some reflections on the past 2 months...

allison at occupyboston.org allison at occupyboston.org
Tue Dec 27 11:36:01 EST 2011



There is a meditative song I know, which is simple and sung in 3 parts. The lines are: 

when I breathe in
I breathe in peace
when I breathe out
I breathe out love

I'd love to change the last word to 'grace' and have us all sing it together once in a while. It's very calming and when I've sung it in groups, people don't want to stop, they just keep going.

In solidarity,
AllisonQuoting Kate Layzer <klayzer at gmail.com>:

> Dear Martin,
>
> Thank you for this. It is really thoughtful, and thought-provoking. I 
> especially like your list at the end, beginning with the reminder 
> that we need to give each other grace. This is so important, so 
> necessary, and so hard to live into. I hope we can all help each 
> other to grow into this? and give each other grace when we fall short!
>
> Grateful to be in this movement with you all?
>
> Kate Layzer
>
> On Dec 27, 2011, at 1:10 AM, Martin wrote:
>
>> Dear OB community,
>>
>> Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Hope all is well and y'all have 
>> have a wonderful last couple of days filled with friends, family, 
>> food and fun!
>>
>> So much like y'all ,I'm certain, I think about things a ton, 
>> constantly reflecting and thinking. So the past month have given me 
>> far more than enough to ponder. About the culture we are creating, 
>> this so called "Exemplar community", the good, the bad and the ugly. 
>> How we replicate the silliness of the systems we protest against, 
>> the ways we create a community that by it's good deeds shines a 
>> light to a better way, the way our internal dynamics work, the 
>> politics, group think, false claims, the informal yet very real 
>> leadership structures, our various vocabularies, our assumptions and 
>> presumptions, our prejudices, ignorance, bureaucracy, impatience and 
>> infighting as well as the mind blowing personal sacrifices, 
>> passionate and dedicated unwavering commitment, the brilliant ideas, 
>> highly innovative and extremely resourceful solutions, the rich 
>> diversity of view points, wealth of knowledge and wisdom and way to 
>> many great and wonderful other virtues and assets our amazing 
>> community.
>>
>> In turn I have a few observations and suggestions on how we could 
>> make it stronger, healthier and far more representative of the 
>> entire 99% and the world we all wish to see come to reality. So 
>> please bear with me and consider both the contents of this message 
>> and it's intentions which are to make the Occupy Boston community 
>> and the global, greater movement it's part of develop and fulfill 
>> the exponentially epic potential it has.
>>
>> As I ,and would argue the general public, understand this movement 
>> is a cultural revolution. It's about rising up against chronic and 
>> systemic abuses of power, hoarding of all resources and mass 
>> corruption and consumption culture which has decimated every facet 
>> of our society and economy (which is made up of far more complexity 
>> that just the daily number's wall st puts out after the market's 
>> closing bell) and their mass media tactics to spread fear, anxiety, 
>> propaganda, spin pr, distribution of twisted facts & stats and in 
>> many cases just out right lies and deception with no evidence or 
>> substance to back any of it up. The bought and paid for members of 
>> congress who engage in the nastiest of party politics and fractions 
>> which create nothing but stalemates, fear mongering and extremist 
>> with the only results being trillions of our dollars wasted and our 
>> nation made weaker and less safe every day. This is not the culture, 
>> society, economy... home we want. The Occupy movement rose up to 
>> denounce, as Dorothy Day would say, "This filthy, rotten system!" 
>> and in the most excellent example of Rosa Parks we occupied the 
>> public spaces and dialogues to create change and offer a better 
>> alternative.
>>
>> To me and to so many from across our great nation what has been the 
>> power behind this movement was the further developing and 
>> realization of how deeply and greatly interconnected all of our 
>> struggles are across the vast and expansive mosaic from all races, 
>> genders, classes, faiths, social, cultural & political views that is 
>> our nation's culture and society. The great and dire need to come to 
>> a understanding, and to honor and celebrate what makes us unique and 
>> what unites us so we can get to the most important work of 
>> rebuilding our homeland... together. So that we can create a just, 
>> and sustainable greater Boston for each and every neighborhood and 
>> community from all races, genders, classes, faiths, social, cultural 
>> & political views that make up it?s mosaic.
>>
>> As Dr Martin Luther King wisely proclaimed in his dream which is 
>> still the dream of a great many folks, many of whom occupy today for 
>> the right to their vision of that dream in the proper context for 
>> people of all races, genders, classes, faiths, social, cultural & 
>> political views, not just those who come from a certain level of 
>> privilege and thus can control commerce, trade and how our laws are 
>> made.
>>
>> "In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. 
>> When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of 
>> the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were 
>> signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. 
>> This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as 
>> white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, 
>> liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
>>
>> It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory 
>> note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of 
>> honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people 
>> a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient 
>> funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is 
>> bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in 
>> the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to 
>> cash this check ? a check that will give us upon demand the riches 
>> of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this 
>> hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This 
>> is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the 
>> tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the 
>> promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and 
>> desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. 
>> Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial 
>> injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make 
>> justice a reality for all of God's children." - MLK
>>
>> Some of those promissory notes that the architects of our republic 
>> wrote in the magnificent words of the Constitution and the 
>> Declaration of Independence where:
>>
>> "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect 
>> Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for 
>> the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the 
>> Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and 
>> establish this Constitution for the United States of America." - US 
>> constitution
>>
>> "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one 
>> people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them 
>> with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the 
>> separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of 
>> Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of 
>> mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel 
>> them to the separation.
>>
>> "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] 
>> are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with 
>> certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and 
>> the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments 
>> are instituted among men [and women], deriving their just Powers 
>> from the consent of the governed, ? That whenever any Form of 
>> Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the 
>> People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, 
>> laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers 
>> in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their 
>> Safety and Happiness." - US Declaration of independence
>>
>> "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of many, one) - US' founding national motto.
>>
>> These famous, and legally binding words, are the obligations which 
>> America has defaulted on. These promissory notes insofar as her 
>> peoples from a great many races, genders, classes, faiths, social, 
>> cultural & political views are concerned. Instead of honoring these 
>> sacred obligations, America has given a great multitude of people a 
>> bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." 
>> However we, the occupy movement, refuse to believe that the bank of 
>> justice is bankrupt! We refuse to believe that there are 
>> insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this 
>> nation! So we have come to cash this check ? a check that will give 
>> us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We 
>> have also come to many hallowed spots across the land to remind 
>> America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in 
>> the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of 
>> gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of 
>> participatory and horizontal democracy. Because democracy is far 
>> better lived out as a mosaic than as a republic!
>>
>> We ALL the people can be the architects of our democratic mosaic and 
>> truly live out our nation's founding motto "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of 
>> many, one) as such form a more perfect union to establish Justice, 
>> insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote 
>> the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to 
>> ourselves and our posterity.
>>
>> In order to make clear and effective strides towards these lofty 
>> ideals there are a few things we need to have a conversation as a 
>> community about and work out in a healthy manner where all voices 
>> are not only heard, but listened to, honored and integrated.
>>
>> The following actions, attitudes and cultural aspects are troubling 
>> as they happen a bit too often and by many members of our community 
>> (my self included) We need to find a way to address the very valid 
>> emotions, concerns and histories behind these actions and attitudes 
>> and create a much more healthy way for our community to find 
>> solutions to the problem that gave rise to them.
>> Our insistence on being a "leaderless movement" This movement is to 
>> all empower people not to explicitly say they have no power. We are 
>> all servant leaders. There is a very clear and marked difference 
>> between usurpation and abuse of power and the taking up of personal 
>> responsibility for task that either just need to be done and/or the 
>> individual is personally more comfortable with or qualified for. One 
>> the first commands and controls the seconds serves and empowers.
>> The severely off balance amount of political correctness ( I totally 
>> understand and support the intent behind it) but when done wrong it 
>> actually works against it's own aim. Let's celebrate both our 
>> uniqueness and that which unites us. Not make us into a homogeneous 
>> group.
>> The constant attacks on folks who say or do anything that is not 
>> very overtly inclusive and extremely well crafted to not trigger 
>> anything that might be misunderstood by anyone or could possibly 
>> offend even the most sensitive of people.
>> The misunderstanding of what transparency means. Not that 
>> everything, everyone does at anytime be widely publicly announced on 
>> every conceivable method to all but rather that no one deliberately 
>> hide information and that all information be place on the wiki, 
>> email list and any other place where it can be easily access by 
>> anyone.
>> The rumor mills and end less accusations of conspiracy theories. We 
>> have big trust issues. we don't give folks the benefit of the doubt 
>> nearly as often as we should.  Just because a small group of people 
>> are working on a project together as an affinity group does not mean 
>> they are conspiring on anything.
>> The large amount of hateful and anti speech. For a non violent 
>> movement we sure have a lot of violent words and attitudes towards 
>> many groups. Now I get that certain groups have historically 
>> committed a great many wrongs (in many cases some real heinous ones) 
>> to many other groups. However hate speech and violent attitudes 
>> towards them will not solve much restore the people who have been 
>> wrong or really even punish those who did the wrong. I've much 
>> appreciated Sage's modeling out the "Love your enemy" principals.
>> Dramatization, playing the victim, and manipulation of situations 
>> and using politically or socially charged words & concepts in the 
>> court of public opinion to get one's point across, or to make 
>> personal attacks and paint a certain people one does not agree with 
>> or like as the enemy or to publicly cast a bad light on them.
>> Hero and savior mentalities. We can no save anyone. We sure can try 
>> to help them and most certainly should do what ever we can to do so. 
>> However we can not save people as individuals as a unified community 
>> much more can be done towards this.
>> Harsh criticism of how others choose to protest and address the 
>> issues and bragging rights for certain actions (like getting 
>> arrested)
>> Derailing conversations, meetings, groups and GA's just so one's 
>> voice can be heard or because one do not agree with them.This speaks 
>> to the larger problem of only meeting for working groups and ga's 
>> without many social actives to simply enjoy each others company and 
>> community conversations simply for the sake of conversation where 
>> people are given the change to speak their mind with out the 
>> pressures of a process, action items, agenda and desired outcomes 
>> and decisions.
>>
>> In conclusion I suggest that we as individuals and as a community:
>>
>> We give each other far more grace when we make mistakes.
>> That we listen (not just hear) at least twice as much as we speak.
>> That we give folks the benefit of the doubt, that we operate with 
>> the mindset that most people are fundamentally good and yet flawed.
>> That we recognize that there are many sides to any story and that 
>> the truth is quite often found not at it's extremes but rather among 
>> weaved trough out all the sides.
>> That we more much more tolerant and considerate with each others 
>> backgrounds, personal views, preferences, and experiences and 
>> approach these situations as a valuable opportunity to learn from 
>> each them and have our own beings improved by the amazing resource 
>> we have in each other.
>> The we offer to help improve something we don't like before we 
>> criticize it or the people behind it.
>> The we actively celebrate both our uniqueness's as well as our 
>> commonalities and unite behind them.
>> That we actively invite more diversity from all races, genders, 
>> classes, faiths, social, cultural & political views so we grow 
>> exponentially and can continue with amazing momentum the noble and 
>> crucial work of creating, on the macro scale (city, national and 
>> global level), an exemplar community  we can all be proud of that 
>> more much truly and holistically represents the vast diversity and 
>> richness that makes up the fullness of beauty that is the 99% mosaic!
>>
>> Thank you for reading, thinking and reflecting on  this.
>>
>> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Martin
>>
>>
>
>
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