Whither Occupy? Dan Novak: Rich Murray 2012.05.06

[Rich Murray-2]

Whither Occupy? Dan Novak: Rich Murray 2012.05.06

Hello Dan,

Your essay is itself a fine exemplifiction of its message -- certainly
deserves wide distribution.

Within mutual service,  Rich

On Sun, May 6, 2012 at 2:17 PM, Dan Novak <[hidden email]> wrote:

from: Dan Novak [hidden email]
to: [hidden email]
date: Sun, May 6, 2012 at 2:17 PM
subject: Whither Occupy?

OCCUPY’S OPTIONS

The Occupy Wall Street Movement: What to do now?  Next step?  Which way to go?

Consider four pathways –

First, continue mass protests, civic disruption, continue as a MASS
movement, using the confrontative tactics of last year only more so…

Second, form a popular political party and join in the conventional
electoral format, process and environment rife with media polarities;
shift its weight to one of the existing progressive coalitions – like
the Green Party – or some other current democratic-progressive
movement…

Third, focus on the current novel way of doing political
commentary/activism/advocacy, particularly using social media, digital
and web-based, blog-toting and distributed network model like Avaaz,
MoveOn, Common Dreams, Truthout, etc.

Fourth, build on its internal pattern of learning and develop a new
culture, one based on a new spirit, new principles,  a new script and
new articulations of the work that needs to be done…

In the Gandhian vernacular, this movement needs to morph into the
future it wants to see – not just agitate for it -- but be it…  It
needs to be it on all the fronts or domains that manifest a culture…
However you define a distinct culture, whatever parameters one uses to
define it, e.g. a way of being that encompasses work, play, learning,
leadership, integrating ritual(s), governance, education, art and
making, exchange, avenues of growth and expansion, spirituality and/or
forms of interiority – that defining quality or source of inspiration
needs to be there.

We could call this the ‘dwell fully everywhere’ option, the ‘be fully
where you are’ option, the ‘inhabit the invisible field of grace’
option, the ‘embrace the emerging new form of planetary life --
directly in front of you, in your midst’ option, the generative
potentiality of abundance in the field of psychic/spiritual space’
option…

One could argue that that principle could be phrased as an ongoing
revolution, a grounded transformation, a societal healing, an
anarchism (a poly-archism that is sensitive to and harkens to a
plurality of orders in harmonic relation rather than simply disorder,
chaos, dissonance) one that embraces non-violence.  That is, the
discipline and flowering, as in classic non-violence theory, of the
fundamental and spirit-giving harmony between MISSION and means.

One would argue, suggest, that a new culture has the capacity to walk
away from (not fight endlessly against) the old hegemonic pattern,
smile at it, and move in a different direction in which, in the words
of Thich Nhat Hanh, “peace is every step,” with a conscious agenda,
theoria and praxis.  The guiding metaphor would be that of a garden,
and the cultivation of community on all fronts would naturally be seen
as essential compost.  A host of ‘new age’ thinkers and pioneers are
rich and ready as resources in this great adventure.  A new kind of
spiritual practice would allow new possibilities when a reverential
space is cultivated in our midst and the myriad constraints of the old
dualisms are gently put aside.

To repeat, the task is to be the future we want to see…

The shovel that goes into the ground to begin has many names: faith,
hope, love, confidence, daring, trust, the sense of agency, awakening,
the stirrings of true movement, the still, silent voice, creative
discontent, decision, determination, intent, gentleness, tenderness,
gratitude, beginner’s mind (“in the beginner’s mind there are many
possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few”), joyful mind,
compassionate mind, initiative without permission, action without
credentials or certification, being-in-harmony with oneself,
integrated being, conscious operation, courage, the realization,
galvanizing insight, vision, steps without boundaries, markers (action
at all scales), easefulness, peacefulness, playful spirit,
un-encapsulated wonder, non-fearfulness, the land on the far side of
despair, the pure land, the beloved community, the mudra or sacred
gesture that comes from our heart’s core, trust in the enlightened
goodness that is the potential of our being, non-dual awareness, the
blessing that can only exist when we come to give it away, when we
give it to all creatures, ‘great and small’…

You probably know better ways to describe this spirit of departure and
adventure!

Cheers, Dan Novak

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