Colossal change The Occupy Wall Street movement has garnered a lot of press lately, and is apparently stirring up a certain amount of anxiety. On Wednesday one media article and two lengthy letters appeared in the Garden Island Forum giving
Colossal change
The Occupy Wall Street movement has garnered a lot of press lately, and is apparently stirring up a certain amount of anxiety. On Wednesday one media article and two lengthy letters appeared in the Garden Island Forum giving expression to various concerns.
Michelle Malkin (Costs of the occupiers) doesn’t deal with the issues behind the protests, but merely sneers and belittles. This way of attacking people instead of the very real problems hardly deserves an answer.
Both letter writers Janos Keoni Samu (A protest primer), and Gordon Oswald (Wasting your time,) acknowledge there are big problems which justify action, but question the methods used.
Samu’s letter particularly intrigues me. He appreciates the need for protests, and congratulated Saturday’s Kaua‘i event, but is concerned that it looked too much like a social event. He believes the expression of anger is necessary in order to be taken seriously. In his opinion the joyous energy of the group in front of Safeway could not possibly be effective in bringing about desired change.
This point of view is certainly understandable and probably many would agree. That’s how it has been done in the past — fight fire with fire! But what is also true is that many successful revolutions based in the negative energy of anger, have turned tyrannical after achieving their goals, becoming as cruel, exploitive, and power hungry as their former enemies. In essence they were both operating from the same negative base.
Maybe it couldn’t have been otherwise during the past. For all recorded history human life has largely been dominated by power hungry individuals and groups that were based in fear and characterized by injustice, war, and great inequality, resulting in enormous human suffering. This is equally true today and is the cause of the Occupy Wall Street protests.
I see reason to believe that changes are in process, which require a different approach to protest. While there has been some anger and violence on both sides, the essence of this movement is based on a knowing that love and joy are more powerful than hate, that the era of domination is ending, and that this protest movement is one whose time has come.
As the result of much that I have read and heard and the messages from my own intuition and heart, I have come to believe that we are in the beginning stages of a colossal change in human existence. A change that will bring to an end to this ancient evil and permit humanity to live a vastly expanded and more satisfying and beautiful life.
Another way of saying this is that an old world is crumbling, and a new world is being born to replace it. Many people are only aware of the crumbling and have no inkling of the new possibilities. Naturally this results in fear of loss and fear of the unknown. But increasingly, throughout the world, human beings are no longer willing to be confined and abused and denied their rights.
Let yourself imagine a world in which you don’t have to struggle to survive, but feel secure in having your basic needs met, in which you feel connected to everyone and consequently don’t have to hide your feelings and defend yourself all the time, where you are free to explore your gifts and interests, where there is equality as opposed to domination by a few, peace instead of war, love instead of hate.
Too good to be true? Too airy-fairy? And yet, ancient sacred teachings all around the world predict such a time. It is said that after a period of chaos (we already have the chaos, right?) the old way would disappear and be replaced by an expanded human consciousness that would result in peace, freedom, openness, prosperity, and more joy in existence than we can easily imagine. We are in the beginning of this colossal change right now.
Miriam Pearson, Kalaheo
Let me be honest
I would like to give some advise to my politician friends. Many politicians, from the governor, mayor, county council members and even the president, say, “Let me be honest,” when speaking at meetings and press conferences.
By preempting a statement and saying, “Let me honest,” they are basically saying everything prior to that wasn’t honest.
Used car salesmen frequently use the expression, “Let me be honest.” Therefore you may want to eliminate that phrase from your vocabulary if you want the public to believe you.
After-all, let me be honest, I am only being totally honest with you!
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
Keep Kipu Falls closed
Regarding the letter, “Which is sadder?” from Charles DeVogelaere, I’m very sorry for the pain the widower and you are going through with the lost of a husband and friend.
We all can understand the need to have a makeshift memorial at the spot of your friend’s death, and it’s very sad that it can not be done.
However I find it very disturbing when you try to keep Kipu Falls open by using your friend’s death and his wife’s attempt on suicide (I’m glad you were there for her) with a knife on your driveway.
The makeshift memorial can still be done outside of the fenced area. If Kipu Falls was on your property and this tragic accident happened there and you faced a law suit, would you still keep the area open?
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
