When the national Occupy movement rolls to its natural stopping point (at least in its current tent-city form), I believe the scattered messages coming out of it won't have mattered as much as that it inspired a lot of people to go outside the comfort of their own lives: to take action, implement ideas, DO something. Or at least try. Who knows what political powerhouse could emerge from this movement, having known nothing of that world previously? Who knows what lasting, influential ideas will be hatched here before the tents inevitably come down?
A common Occupier is someone who has been out of work for a long time. That's a person who is not currently curled up on the couch, wallowing in depression. That's someone who's giving themselves a sense of purpose, whether this movement ultimately affects any change or not. That's someone who may be learning new skills or sharpening latent ones, like negotiating, public speaking, or working on a team towards a common goal. And that's a person who may emerge from this with a new sense of themselves, of what they're cut out for in this world. I think the benefits to this movement go way beyond whether anything will really change with the economic system in this country.
I like to look at it from that angle, at least, even while I doubt the impact that a bunch of people camping out will have on Wall Street's immediate future. But, bottom line, it's been a long time since large groups of Americans got this fired up over anything in this country. Maybe the point of all of this is for us to collectively remember how to do it, whether we were directly involved or not.
Happy Thanksgiving: to Occupiers, non-Occupiers, and Monday morning quarterbacks like myself.
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