Activism

Occupy Origins: From Burning Man To Wall St.

December 7, 2011 by Ian MacKenzie

THIS YEAR was my third visit to Black Rock City, the temporary city that manifests every summer in Nevada. I rarely take out my camera at the event, having learned from previous experience that it’s almost impossible to capture anything close to the energy and magic that is Burning Man.

After meeting author Darrin Drda, I made an exception.

I encountered Darrin through his free workshop, a metta meditation designed to connect Burners with ourselves and the work we are called to do in the world. At this time of great change and crises, it has become our duty to rise to the challenge, rather than retreat into dullness and the illusion of security.

Coincidentally, 17 days after my interview with Darrin, the Occupy movement erupted onto the world stage. While many are still asking “what do they want?’ and “where did they come from?” – those of us who have been immersed in the consciousness shift immediately recognized: this is what Burning Man looks like when it attempts to manifest in the “default” world.

As Eva Ensler, author of ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ said recently when speaking about the Occupy movement:

“What is happening cannot be defined. It is happening. It is a spontaneous uprising that has been building for years in our collective unconscious. It is a gorgeous, mischievous moment that has arrived and is spreading. It is a speaking out, coming out, dancing out. It is an experiment and a disruption.”

To be clear: this is NOT to say that Burning Man directly “led” to the occupation of Wall St, but it has clearly been a creative source of incubation for the paradigm shift that is rippling around the globe. From the Arab Spring, to the environment activists, to the legions of yogis, all these energies now have the opportunity to emerge from their silos, and truly see each other and their common cause.

We have much to learn from each other, and it all starts with the profoundly simple invitation: “Welcome home.”

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Check out Occupy Burners to get involved.

If We Get Occupy Right, We Get Everything Right

November 26, 2011 by Ian MacKenzie

Original Occupy Wall St flyer

WHEN I FIRST heard the call to Occupy Wall St for a few months, I knew this was big. I knew it would be more than just a “protest.” This felt different than the usual march to voice specific grievances. It was a call for something more profound, and much deeper, than even the original participants realized as they gathered their signs and tents.

I knew because I’d be following the various manifestations of this movement for over a year, working with Velcrow Ripper as he traversed the globe working on his new film: Evolve Love. The premise is complex to capture, but simple to state: humanity is waking up.

On Sept 17, 2011, 2000 people showed up at Zucotti Park. On Nov 26, 2011, they are still there.

The mainstream media, if they aren’t busy denigrating the movement and highlighting its flaws, are still grappling with how to cover it. Who are the leaders? What are your demands? No answer has been given. Instead, they Occupy.

Early on, journalist Naomi Klein recognized the significance as well. She called it “The Most Important Thing In The World Now“:

Yesterday, one of the speakers at the labor rally said: “We found each other.” That sentiment captures the beauty of what is being created here. A wide-open space (as well as an idea so big it can’t be contained by any space) for all the people who want a better world to find each other. We are so grateful.

“Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”

At its heart, Occupy is not a protest. It’s about creating space. It’s about modeling a new way of being, that requires a fair amount of “unlearning” the way society and human nature has been taught. It’s asking the question: why? Why are things they way they are? Is it, in fact, human nature to be greedy, violent, and cruel? Or is it possible that these are symptoms of a systemic order?

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Occupy Vancouver – Moving Day

November 22, 2011 by Ian MacKenzie

Yes, Occupy Vancouver is messy. Yes, everyone is not perfect. But they are trying their best. They are asking us to stop ignoring our shadow. Today was moving day, and this is what it looked like:

Tell me a part of you doesn’t want to feel this alive.

How to understand the Occupy Wall. St. movement

October 5, 2011 by Ian MacKenzie

Occupy Wall St. is about inequality, but it’s more than that. It’s about dignity, but it’s more than that. It is not about demanding specific causes to a much deeper problem. It is about being out there in the open, creating space, even not knowing what will happen. To understand the Occupy movement is to understand this guy: