Forum Post: The BRAND NEW DAY we've been waiting for has ARRIVED: Goethe & what we each can do TODAY to help the 99% rise & win

IMPORTANT NOTE - There are two parts to this post:

1. The angry frustrated part and
2. The transformative positive productive part (below the line).

One without the other won't make sense so please read both. If you have read this before, please reread through again to very end -- past the line. Thanks :)

As we look out at the country and the world right now, there is an obvious assault underway. The wealthiest corporations and individuals are using austerity, ALEC and countless other tools to hoard more money for themselves. They're also wrecking the economy, harming the environment, stealing workers' rights and undermining the future prosperity of our children and grandchildren.

That really fucking pisses me off.

But you know what pisses me off even more? That it's entirely preventable, we have the tools in our hands to stop it and we haven't done so yet. What really pisses me off the most is that we the 99% have not banded together enough to short circuit the propaganda machine that made this possible. This stuff the 1% are pushing through only works if the majority of Americans think there's no other choice.. We HAVE the power if we REALIZE we have the power. We have the power as soon as we realize that we have more in common than we have separating us.

If we'd realize that, we could begin making decisions from a position of unioed strength rather than demands from a position of divided weakness.

I don't think we have to choose. I think Occupy is a fleet of ships in an armada, not one big tanker. http://www.occupywallst.org/forum/occupy-is-a-fleet-of-ships-and-there-is-no-they-in/ . We can hit on multiple fronts. And by hitting -- I mean revealing the lies, exposing the scams to the light of day via direct action that gives mainstream press no choice but to cover. Those who are politically minded can do things like push for these 8 items from the inside and out: http://www.occupywallst.org/forum/you-may-have-seen-this-list-of-8-practical-goals-b/ . Others can be out in the street pushing against the assault on labor or austerity measures. There are countless fronts and all of us have our own particular specialties and skill sets.

At root it's the same battle against corruption. And a bright light is our best weapon in this effort. We have that bright light in our possession and we can shine it using nonviolent direct action whenever and wherever we wish.

Let's get our act together by GETTING TOGETHER, get off our sofas and use that bright light. Let's make our forefathers and foremothers proud! They hustled their asses off to make this a great nation. Now it's our turn.

The momentum is with us. The people are rising. Look at what's going on with Walmart, Michigan and what's happening with Starbucks in England right now. People are waking up! This is exactly the time we need to double our efforts, when that momentum is with us. Because you can be damn sure that the 1% are doubling their efforts too. What we have going for us is that we are 99% of the population and they are only 1%. Think about it. Even they probably can't believe that they've gotten away with such an arrangement for so long.

Let's follow the example of Occupy groups in England who are occupying Starbucks across the country to expose the absurdity of shutting down services for women (like rape crisis centers) when big multinational corporations are paying zero taxes. This whole "Gee gosh, I guess there is nothing else we can do but impose austerity" is bullshit. http://occupywallst.org/article/starbucks-occupied-across-britain/

Huge corporations and the super rich have corrupted democratic governments around the world and rigged laws to benefit those corporations and super rich. And when that results in budget deficits, they sell it to us through corporate owned media in a way that makes it sound like WE are being greedy when we insist on living wages, basic health care, decent education, etc.

Austerity is their rallying cry and it is total fucking bullshit. It's time to rise. Strikes, boycotts, marches, sit ins, walk outs, you name it, let's do it. Let's shine the light of day on the corrupt game that's being run on us and unseat the corporatists who have hijacked our republic. This is a damn good country and it deserves our defense.

We need to use this momentum from Michigan and Walmart actions though. We can't let it cool down. It's time to rise up and stand with Walmart protesters, to stand with protesters in Michigan, to stand with working people everywhere in the country and THEREBY (via these direct nonviolent actions) spread the word to every living room and factory break room and office water cooler in America that THIS WILL NOT STAND. This WILL NOT STAND. A line has been crossed.

Think about what the light of day can do to declaw ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council where big corporations with politicians in their pockets are literally writing our state laws).. We need the light of day to expose the horrendous corruption at work here like a cancer in all our state houses. The light of day in this case can CURE this cancer. And we hold that light in our very hands if we PUSH with forceful nonviolent direct action that is so creative and so prevalent and involves such large numbers that it can't be ignored. Last fall was just a warmup.

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** But you know what? There's something even more important than pushing (as important as that is). There's something we need to do first that will make this all possible,

We have the power within each of us to transmute that anger and frustration we all feel into positive action. And that positive action could be as simple as waking up each day with the mission in the back of our minds of paying attention more to what we have in common than what divides us. If we each make that choice each morning, others will pick up on that and do the same. That example is highly contagious and can create a virtuous cycle.

Over time, we can let go of the petty differences that divide us and focus more and more on what we have in common. This can become a HABIT. They say it takes 7 weeks to develop a habit so we should start now. What will the end result be (other than us as individuals enjoying our days a whole lot more)? The end result will be that we'll realize we have more in common than we have separating us.

Once we discover that, we'll realize that we truly ARE the 99% and it is impossible for 1% of the population to rule over the rest of us. We'll finally know our own power and this brings with it a transformative confidence. We'll then be in a position to make decisions from a position of unified strength rather than make demands from a position of fractured weakness.

And that's EXACTLY the brand new day we've been looking for! It all begins with that decision to spend today looking for what we have in common. Once we make that decision, everything changes.

Goethe put it like this:

"Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.  Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth - the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.  All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manor of unforseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would come his way.  Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.  Begin it now."

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