Talking To The Universe: Stories From The Occupation
By Mickey Z.
22 June, 2012
World News Trust
I was asked to participate in a Boundless Tales reading at Waltz-Astoria on June 21. To follow is a version of what I read:
When I was first booked to give a talk called Occupy for All Species at the Jivamuktea Café near Union Square on March 23, I could've never guessed that the new Occupy Wall Street camp would, by then, be in full effect right up the street.
This development added an exciting dynamic to the event and there were plenty of amazing, dedicated occupiers at Jivamuktea that night. One of them -- who goes by the name of Eco -- told me how deeply impressed he was by my presentation, and he thanked me for what I do.
Without realizing it, I fell into an old pattern and sort of moaned and groaned about how I've been doing this for years -- basically begging people to occupy -- and it was so frustrating to think I was being ignored.
Eco smiled and said: "You were talking to the universe, Mickey. We all are. You weren't being ignored but sometimes it takes a while to be heard. We hear you now."
Mic Check: One definition of epiphany is "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by a simple occurrence or experience."
Such a revelation not only gave my perception a much-needed kick in the ass, it also helped me realize that if you talk to the universe, sometimes the universe talks back.
For example, in October 2011, OWS encouraged everyone to pull their money from big banks. I have an account with a small local bank... but also had a Chase credit card. When I went to my local bank to inquire about getting a credit card from them instead, I was fortuitously informed that if I signed up that exact day, I'd get a free gift.
"What might this gift be?" I asked.
"A blanket," came the reply.
"I'll be back in an hour," I promised -- barely able to contain my joy.
I went home, took care of a few things, and prepared for what had become one of my three-four times per week visits to Liberty Square during the initial encampment. This time, however, I stopped at the bank, filled out some forms, and walked out with a brand new blanket.
Smiling all the way from Astoria to Wall Street, I carried my gift directly down to the occupation and donated it -- but not before I shared this karmic story with Mae, at the OWS Comfort table. She rewarded me with a smile so dazzling, I can still see it in my mind's eye.
Mic Check: Tune in to the universe.
Two days after my Jivamukti talk, I made my way to Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn to attend the third edition of Occupy Town Square.
Although I've lived in New York City my entire life, I'd never been to that park. When I got off the subway at DeKalb Avenue, I opted to rely on the evidence of my senses and headed off in the direction of some trees.
I saw two of Mayor Bloomberg's soldiers standing at a gate and knew I'd found the right place. But once I passed them with a sneer, I had no idea where the gathering might be found within a 30-acre park.
I stopped walking, got quiet, and asked the universe for help…and that’s when I heard it: the unmistakable sound of drums. Like a human may have done hundreds or even thousands of years ago, I followed the drumbeat through unfamiliar terrain until I had found my tribe.
Later, when I left, I passed several occupiers making their way to the event. They asked me for directions, I suggested: "Just listen for the drums."
Mic Check: Listen to the universe.
More recently, as part of the OWS Summer Disobedience School, I was marching with some fellow occupiers through Times Square on June 2. While skirting the edge of the demo to take photos, I passed a group of young men in business attire. On the surface, they appeared "mainstream" -- right out of Central Casting, you might say.
One man was clearly confused by the boisterous march -- the signs, the drummers, the costumes, and so much more. "What are they doing?" he pondered aloud. The largest man in the group -- his face pinched into an expression of scorn -- bellowed: "I'll tell you what they should be doing. They should be looking for a fuckin' job."
He looked so self-satisfied with his parroting of the corporate media line that I couldn't help taking him down a notch. I stopped walking, positioned myself about three feet away -- directly in his line of sight -- and glared into his eyes.
When he looked at me and saw my "99%" button and the Red Square affixed to my t-shirt, Alpha Male was suddenly confronted with the uncomfortable reality that those he was mocking weren't the skinny hippie pacifists he'd read all about on the interwebs.
His eyes met mine and I held my squinty stare. In a matter of seconds, his self-confidence waned and he diverted his gaze downwards.
Mic Check: Stand up for the universe.
Occupying is a job and not a job for the lazy or selfish. The lazy and selfish may allow the professional propagandists of the corporate media to do their thinking for them but here are a few things the lazy and selfish would never do:
>> Volunteer their time and energy (under constant threat of arrest) to cook organic, locally grown food to feed the homeless.
>> Give up a tenured academic position in another state to come live in a tent in a NYC park and start a People's Library.
>> Spend hours putting together websites, newspapers, working groups, jail and legal support, bands, performances, events, and more -- for free.
>> Face up to the myriad crises threatening all life on the planet and recognize the urgency.
>> Stand up to relentless police repression and brutality without even a hint of retreat or surrender.
>> Imagine an alternative form of human culture and begin the process of making it happen.
Several man-made hierarchies, constructs, and barriers have already been challenged and some smashed. What OWS is modeling is a far more cooperative, creative, participatory, tolerant, and downsized way of living -- a way of life without the spirit-crushing hierarchies and all those "jobs" we've been trained to covet and worship.
Mic Check: Work for the universe.
We can’t be as indifferent as those who came before us. They didn’t think urgently enough about future generations so now we have to work a thousand times as hard. It sucks, I know, but this not an issue of fairness. It’s about survival.
It's not about purity. It's not about who did what or said what first. It's not about following a predetermined game plan. It's not about waiting for the ideal time to jump on board. It's a fuckin' revolution -- in the name of all life on earth -- so shrug off the excuses and get involved.
De-occupy your grad school dissertations, reject the fascism of semantics, kick the habit of cynicism disguised as cleverness, scrap the resentment and the rivalries, ditch the dated doctrines, and choose feeling over thinking.
Silence the sirens of archaic archetypes, open your minds to new configurations, and heed the call of the future. I promise it'll be a lot more fun than you ever imagined.
Tap into the collective consciousness, explore the universal energy, and immerse yourself in the spirit of the present because we need a planet with fewer reasons to grieve and far more reasons to celebrate.
And the good news is that there's a growing celebration meeting down at the corner of Empathy and Anger -- and what we're planning is nothing less than a global jailbreak.
OWS is far from perfect but the goal isn't perfection. The goal is justice. Activism is imperfection. Occupation is imperfection. To struggle for change is to risk imperfection. I implore you to risk imperfection, to choose process over purity, to ask yourself:
What unique gifts do I possess that I can share -- as soon as possible -- with this growing movement? The call has been made so surrender your list of preconditions and just leap. Who knows, a net may even appear.
Participating in direct action is not always a popular choice. It could put us at odds with our friends, our family, and our community. It could jeopardize our careers. It could even lead to violent conflict with the notorious Blue Bloc. Scary stuff, for sure.
But what frightens you more, getting arrested for disorderly conduct or comprehending that 80 percent of the world's forests are already gone while every 3.6 seconds, a human being starves to death somewhere on the planet?
If you still think you're not ready to join the fight, I have some questions for you:
>> Have you been laid off or "downsized"?
>> Are you unable to afford education or already buried under student debt?
>> Are you one of the 50 million Americans without health insurance?
>> Is your home under threat of foreclosure?
>> Are you barely living paycheck to paycheck?
>> Are you angry about corporate welfare, corporate personhood, and tax breaks for the rich?
>> Are you tired of 54 percent of your tax dollars going to the US military?
>> Most of all, are you ready to say no to global policies that subsidize the 1% while promoting war, poverty, oppression, and ecocide?
If you answered yes to any of these queries, congratulations: you are part of the 99%.
Join us...
When future generations ask what you did to defend all life on earth during this momentous time in human history, will you talk of how you played it safe or will you simply and honestly reply: "I did my part"?
Let's all do our part and talk together to the universe so it can inform the 1% that we occupy because we've reached the point of no return; because minor changes are not nearly enough; because we must stop acting like we're the last generation of humans; because we don't want our legacy to be one of inaction and shame; we occupy because we are the ones planet has been waiting for.
Isn’t about skin color, gender, sexual preference, or what parcel of geography you happen to have been born on. I'm not talking about party affiliations, incremental reform, or what sky-god you've chosen to worship (or not). It's all about recognizing a crisis and taking appropriate measures... now.
And it starts with us. How lucky are we? We've been trusted with the most vital mission in the history of human struggle: survival.
Let's talk to the universe so the universe can tell the 1% that the revolution has begun and we are the 99% and they should fuckin' expect us.
Mic Check: Fight for the universe.
Peace and power to all species…
***
Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on an obscure website called Facebook.
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