<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;
charset=ISO-8859-1">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
Dear OB community, <br>
<br>
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! <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
As Dr Martin Luther King wisely proclaimed in his <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html">dream</a> 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. <br>
<br>
"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.<br>
<br>
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 <br>
<br>
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: <br>
<br>
"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 <br>
<br>
"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.<br>
<br>
"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 <br>
<br>
"E Pluribus Unum" (Out of many, one) - US' founding national motto.<br>
<br>
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! <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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. <br>
<ul>
<li>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. <br>
</li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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.<br>
</li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>Harsh criticism of how others choose to protest and address
the issues and bragging rights for certain actions (like getting
arrested) </li>
<li>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. </li>
</ul>
<br>
In conclusion I suggest that we as individuals and as a community:<br>
<br>
<ul>
<li>We give each other far more grace when we make mistakes.</li>
<li>That we listen (not just hear) at least twice as much as we
speak. </li>
<li>That we give folks the benefit of the doubt, that we operate
with the mindset that most people are fundamentally good and yet
flawed.</li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>The we offer to help improve something we don't like before we
criticize it or the people behind it. </li>
<li>The we actively celebrate both our uniqueness's as well as our
commonalities and unite behind them. <br>
</li>
<li>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! </li>
</ul>
<br>
Thank you for reading, thinking and reflecting on this. <br>
<br>
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! <br>
<br>
Cheers <br>
<br>
Martin <br>
<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>