Occupy Christchurch: Moving Forward

[An open letter addressed to Occupy Christchurch]

Tena koutou, kia ora koutou, na reira mauri ora tatou katoa.

We’ve been at this for a while now.

I know I haven’t been present very much in the last couple of weeks, but please believe that I am constantly reading, thinking, reading more, feeling things out, reading and thinking again. This movement grips me; I feel like I am a part of it, because I am one of those people who has been waiting, plaintively, for it to happen, for many many years. Now that it is happening, I feel as if I have been preparing for it for my whole life, and I can barely believe that the time has come for us to initiate the change we all know is necessary.

WHERE WE ARE NOW
We began with a Statement of Purpose for Occupy New Zealand. We’ve organised marches, rallies, picnics and free markets.

We’ve spoken to loads of reporters and even the NZ Police. We’ve engaged with countless passers-by on a plethora of issues.

Anyway, yes. We’ve been doing this for almost a month. The media and some members of the public still don’t know what the hell we’re on about, and to an extent, I think it’s not unfair to say that some of us are still a little… uncertain of the details. We all know that the system is broken, because of the blatant fact that there is poverty where there shouldn’t be, and there are rich people hogging all the wealth while these others starve and remain mired in ignorance and poverty.

What I mean is, I don’t think many of us understand the framework of mechanics that has caused this situation to come about. How many of us can sum it up in twenty words or less…?

So, the question begs: What’s next? Are we going to narrow down some discussion topics with which we can engage our community in more well-defined, coherent ways?

SYNTHESIS
Perhaps it’s time to begin better synthesising what we’ve been saying, by identifying and focusing on the main themes of our discussions so far.

Occupy Life

What is the Occupy Movement? What do they want?

Lots of people don’t get it. That’s understandable, because it’s decentralised and there is no identifiable and charismatic figurehead articulating the movement’s demands. And, really, that’s because it’s democratic: “of the people.” And the simple fact that there is no central figure to take down, as was the case with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, means that it’s much more difficult for opposing interests to attack the movement.

The movement is based on principles of participation and self-expression. That’s why we see so many varied flavours of protest: corruption; human rights; poverty; education; healthcare, and so on. And that means that there is room for many thousands of people to get involved, in their own ways. It’s one of the reasons that the movement has become so big.

How do we synthesise all of that? Is it an anti-capitalist, quasi-communist movement?

No.

Capitalism is fine, as an idea.
Communism is fine, as an idea.

In practice, what scrambles it all up, and what this movement rallies against, is egoistic, greedy self-interest—the manipulation of political and economic systems, be they capitalist, communist, or whatever, and the ancillary structures that are meant to support them.

It is the immoral, unsympathetic self-interested attitude, so overtly expressed by intrusive and growth-driven corporate entities and weak governments, that ruins it for everyone.

In a word: “Corruption.” What is it that is corrupted? The system that pretends to offer growth, wealth and prosperity for us.

We have enough to feed, house and employ everyone in the world, right now.

That means that what is happening is THEFT.

Auckland, NZ

We are not against capitalism, and we are not in favour of communism. We are against greed, and selfishness, and corruption. We are in favour of justice, fairness and positive evolution.

You want to know what we want? You want to know what our demands are?

We demand nothing less than A BETTER WORLD, where EVERYONE is fed, housed and fairly employed, and a contributing member of a just and equal society.

We demand our right to such a world… because it ALREADY EXISTS. There is abundance everywhere… and it is being hoarded and squandered by a greedy minority of government-sanctioned thieves.

We make this demand peacefully. We shall not fight you with guns, nor swords, nor fists.

We shall fight you with words, and ideas, and reason. Our weapons are our Hearts; our Minds are our shields, and we shall wield them with mighty compassion and unwavering confidence.

We are Soldiers of Justice, and we shall march, and march, and march–not until we win, but until you finally see these truths, and you join us.

Join us.

occupychristchurch.org
occupynz.org
occupywallstreet.org
occupytogether.org

Word.

Keeping Occupied

As I type, there is a GA (General Assembly) taking place at the Occupy Christchurch event now being held in Hagley Park, here in Christchurch, New Zealand. We have a GA every few hours to bring the people here back together in between small discussion workshops, games of cricket, slack-lining and fire spinning. We even had some musicians bring a small generator and a stage, and they’ve been playing music for us pretty much non-stop. It’s a really fun, positive atmosphere.

We’re a rag-tag bunch right now, about forty people as at 9:30pm on Saturday night while a Rugby World Cup semi-final match between France and Wales distracts the rest of the country. Even so, we take heart in knowing that on the first night in Wall Street on September 17, there were only twelve people there.

We really have no idea where this will go, or for how long. Our protest is intimately linked to those now progressively going forwards in over 200 other cities across the planet today, besides those already established in New York and other places.

And that, I think, is reflective of the whole movement… we really don’t know where this will all go. There seems to be a feeling in the air that this is it: This is the moment. If we cannot effect real, meaningful change to our politico-commercial matrix with this, then just what, pray tell, do we have to do?

Today while the microphone was open, I stepped up to say what was in my heart. I said, “we have enough. It’s not about ‘overpopulation’—Don’t be fooled. Overpopulation is a myth. We have enough in the world, right now, to feed, clothe, educate and house every single man, woman and child on the planet. Not one person left out. And yet there are people starving, poor, and dying every day. And it makes no sense. That’s why we’re here. We want Justice; We want Decency. The current state of things is simply not fair. It’s not about population; it’s about distribution of resources.”

This is, without a doubt, the most important movement to take place in our generation. Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people are being moved to join us, in cities across the planet.

What will you tell your kids when they ask you where you were during the Occupations? Will you make your children proud? Will you create a world that will make your children proud?

Why is this movement important?

It’s important because it strikes deep into the heart of our natural desire for Fairness and Decency.

What are we so pissed-off about?

We’re pissed off that rich people can buy legislation for self-interested gains. We’re pissed off that money is more important than people. We’re pissed off that even today, when we have enough for everyone, there are still people who are hungry, people who are thirsty, who are homeless and uneducated. IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE.

We’re pissed off that people can be so greedy that they will watch people die while they line their pockets with worthless shit like huge houses and flash cars.

Those people do not represent us; and yet they make decisions, every day, on our behalf. They may not control our lives, but they do control how we live our lives. They shape our environment.

We have had enough. This is it. Now is the time. From where I view things, this is our last chance to make things right. With the entire world being moved to join this movement, I only see it as make, or break.

fff

I wonder where all this will go.

How Does It Feel To Burn?

I’m full. Overfull, in fact… I feel as if I contain every emotion that it’s possible to feel, all at the same time. I’ve spent a lot of the last day or so in a free hotel room, writing and journaling and moving with some concentration to make some kind of relative sense out of everything that’s happening, has happened, and is about to happen.

It’s Been a While

Sorry.

Here’s what’s up:

I’m without a job right now, and I’m just about to head down Commercial Drive to canvass the local cafés for work. I only need two or three days a week to cover everything, and really that’s all I need and want, so hopefully it won’t be too difficult. I’ve also signed-up at an office temping agency, so hopefully that will yield a few days work.

Without boring you with too much detail, things in Vancouver (as far as the basics like accommodation and employment go) have not been very successful, ever since I arrived in September last year. It feels like I’m constantly trying to dig sideways and clear a path up to solid ground, and every few feet I get shoved deeper into this hole. In sum, it seems like Vancouver and I are just not resonating very well with each other, at this point in time. I am, simply, not feeling settled at all.

It’s not all bullshit, though—not by any stretch. I have made some amazing friends, plus I’ve been spending quite a lot of high-quality time with an intelligent, gorgeous and delightful woman, who, brilliantly, is named Randi. And, this continuous ‘digging’ has also led me into yet another re-evaluation of where I’m going and what I’m doing with my Life; basically, after feeling kind of stagnant for the last few months, I am once again feeling re-invigorated. Again, without boring you with the introspective details of how I got here, let me break it down for you…

[Cue thoughtful background string music, with montage of biological cellular growth and division]

I Weep

Today is Remembrance Day in the USA and Canada, including where I now live in Vancouver. The day is a holiday in most of the country, allowing time and space for us to reflect upon the sacrifices of those fallen in battle during World Wars I and II, and other conflicts in recent history. Today is Armistice Day, the date in 1918 when war was declared to be over in Europe, heralding the close of four years of ceaseless killing of young men in muddy trenches.

This morning, along with a few friends, I attended the public service given in Vancouver’s Victory Square, where the city’s cenotaph stands.

In New Zealand, where I’m from, we take the 25th of April every year—ANZAC Day—as our day of remembrance. It marks the day in 1915 when Australian and New Zealand Army Corps forces were landed at Gallipoli, in the Dardanelles of Turkey, and suffered horrific losses in a catastrophic tactical blunder, before finally being evacuated later that year.

There are a couple of things that never fail to squeeze a few tears out of me. Human triumph against all odds or conventionality is one; the other is the sadness elicited within me by our loss of human life in armed conflict.

Neither Remembrance Day nor ANZAC Day are occasions to glorify war and death; they are times to cease fire, reflect, and remember the dead, and the reasons why we have, in their thousands upon thousands, sent them to die.