Occupy Meets Transition (etc.) Cafe Call and Beyond - Occupy Cafe2024-03-28T13:37:49Zhttp://www.occupycafe.org/forum/topics/occupy-meets-transition-etc-cafe-call?groupUrl=alternative-economy&commentId=6451976%3AComment%3A25167&groupId=6451976%3AGroup%3A4903&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI'm happy I get to see you tw…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-09-28:6451976:Comment:326692012-09-28T21:57:41.070ZDavid Eggletonhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/DavidEggleton
<p>I'm happy I get to see you two connect so.</p>
<p>I'm happy I get to see you two connect so.</p> Cheryl, you're an inspiration…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-09-28:6451976:Comment:326662012-09-28T21:04:43.233ZMark E. Smithhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/MarkESmith
<p>Cheryl, you're an inspiration. I think it is counterproductive to try to work out specific plans--we can't always know exactly what will happen in transition, but we can gain skills and weave community so that we can trust and rely on ourselves and others to respond in ways that benefit everyone no matter what happens. How terrible it must be for those who are stuck in a stressful rat race to live a lifestyle that subtracts years from their lives and makes the time they do have less…</p>
<p>Cheryl, you're an inspiration. I think it is counterproductive to try to work out specific plans--we can't always know exactly what will happen in transition, but we can gain skills and weave community so that we can trust and rely on ourselves and others to respond in ways that benefit everyone no matter what happens. How terrible it must be for those who are stuck in a stressful rat race to live a lifestyle that subtracts years from their lives and makes the time they do have less enjoyable. </p>
<p><br/>Check out <a href="http://www.freedialup.org" target="_blank" class="text" rel="nofollow">Free Dialup.org</a> and see if they offer free dial-up internet access in your area. I gave up my broadband service because I couldn't afford it. Dial-up is a little slower, but the price is right (free). With an unlimited local landline calling plan and a small netbook or used computer with a dial-up modem, you can be online any time you want. The internet can lead to addictive socializing, or it can be a tool for organizing.</p>
<p><br/>Thank you for caring enough about us to share.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p> Mark I am moved by your authe…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-09-28:6451976:Comment:328332012-09-28T20:14:58.259ZCheryl Honeyhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/CherylHoney
<p>Mark I am moved by your authenticity and the depth of your story. I find myself being "careful" in how I convey my thoughts on Occupy Cafe in fear of judgement or falling short of people's expectations. Your story gives me courage to share what's on my heart and I just have to stop concerning myself with how others will interpret/percieve/judge my musings. It baffles me that I care so much about what others think about my thoughts. Even writing this post, I find myself writing a sentence,…</p>
<p>Mark I am moved by your authenticity and the depth of your story. I find myself being "careful" in how I convey my thoughts on Occupy Cafe in fear of judgement or falling short of people's expectations. Your story gives me courage to share what's on my heart and I just have to stop concerning myself with how others will interpret/percieve/judge my musings. It baffles me that I care so much about what others think about my thoughts. Even writing this post, I find myself writing a sentence, then deleting it and rewording it to "get it right". But in reality, anything we say is right as long as I'm not harming others or impeding progress.</p>
<p>I fight off the feelings that I'm but a whisper on the Cafe because I don't have a lot of time to engage in these conversations. I feel like I'm always trying to catch up with the others who have the time, vocabulary and ability to articulate their thoughts on a string of words. I find myself welling up with feelings and it's difficult to write down in an order that makes any sense. But I'm gonna give it the old college try and trust everything will be OK.</p>
<p>The truth is, I have a special gift (a.k.a. disability) my eyes see all the words on a page so I don't read in a line...I absorb all the words at once. In college I listened to books like Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond and Doing Democracy: The MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements by Bill Moyer and Mary Lou Finley (My advisor at Antioch University in Seattle). This gift combined with listening the class discussions allowed me to take as many as 22 credits a term, graduated with honors with 3 certificates and a double major in less than 3 years. Yet...I feel like I'm lagging behind because I don't have the time to engage/participate in all these extraordinary conversations.</p>
<p>I'm grateful to have an hour (while my car is being fixed) to sit at the library in Astoria (where I hitch hiked to get here) to gain insight into the power of on-line conversation. </p>
<p>To me poverty is a state of mind. It's not a condition imposed on me because my income level is below the poverty limit set by the federal government. Being raised in the military my father had high expectations for his children. As I reflect on my past, I realize what a unique opportunity I had growing up on military bases with people who shared the same values, standards, rituals and traditions. I realized when writing a paper in college about my work in the world (Community Weaving), that I was attempting to replicate my experience of "community" on a much broader scale. After gaining some life experience and finding out that doing what you love in the world doesn't pay a lot, I realized it was more important to me to pursue my passion and follow my calling than "make money". I was scrutinized by my friends, family and children for not getting a "real job". There were times I supplemented the little I made from Community Weaving and joined the working class...running stock brokerage firms, casting for TV/films and serving as personal assistants to corporate executives. Needless to say these positions created a lot of stress and chaos in life. Based on the conversations I've read (absorbed) this far, I sense the yearning for belonging to a place (a movement) that allows one to live and do what they love and not worry about the essentials (food, clothing, shelter). </p>
<p>After my children left the nest a Good Neighbor invited me to stay with her in Plymouth, MA. While there I studied the healthy characteristics of intentional communities. My work revealed the necessity of people starting to pool and share resources, share housing, find new modes of transportion, store food and water and be connected to a village. I see how the world is changing and that people don't have the skills to trust what is happening around them. They rely on something outside themselves to fix their problems. I see people connecting with each other on-line to the point that they are "addicted" to socializing, but they aren't connected to a grass roots social support system in their back yard where they can access anything they need on their own behalf.</p>
<p>I continue to live below the poverty line, all my needs are met. I'm able to do what I love (Community Weaving) while working as a checker in a grocery store and having friends and neighbors who actually care about me. In fact, I have neighbors all around the world that care about me. I've hosted over 30 families in my home who were in transition (a.k.a. homeless) and now with Couchsurfing I'm hosting Gypsies in my 28' condo on wheels in my driveway. We share stories about surviving the great transition. My sweetheart is a hunter and avid outdoorsman. My neighbor has a green thumb and I'm a great cook and community organizer. Not an Occupy Organizer of non-violent actions, but an organizer of community. Please don't misunderstand...we need Occupy Organizers, but that's not the part I'm supposed to play.</p>
<p>I was led to Occupy Cafe after Rebuild the American Dream (Van Jones initiative) recognized the potential in Community Weaving. I know engaging the Good Neighbors in our network through conversation will change their lives and connect them to some of the great minds who can support and encourage them through the transition (a.k.a. David Korten calls it the great turning). I feel strongly if we blend our passions for weaving community through carepooling and dialogue, then something even more extraordinary will happen. What that is I don't even want to guess because my mind will minimize the potential. </p>
<p>More will be revealed. Until next time...</p> Thanks, Annatag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-22:6451976:Comment:265702012-06-22T18:28:10.275ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>Thanks, Anna</p>
<p>Thanks, Anna</p> No contact given, only a date…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-22:6451976:Comment:263882012-06-22T18:21:10.297ZAnna Harrishttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AnnaHarris
<p>No contact given, only a date for the call (Sun Jun 24 2012 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET - 1 hour) and invitation to register with Maestro conference…</p>
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<p>No contact given, only a date for the call (Sun Jun 24 2012 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET - 1 hour) and invitation to register with Maestro conference</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/VQTD5S0HZZDTGZHS" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; vertical-align: baseline; color: #000000;" target="_blank"> CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS CALL</a></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> Queries to InterOccupy+<info@InterOccupy.org></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br/>Anna</p> Mark:
I feel that we have "an…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-22:6451976:Comment:265642012-06-22T13:45:35.282ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>Mark:</p>
<p>I feel that we have "an OC culture issue" emerging here. Not in your disagreements with C.A. but in the way you are choosing to express them. If I'm in C.A.'s shoes (and I have been during past exchanges with you), I'm feeling disrespected.</p>
<p>Zingers like "<span>since it won't help you pick up chicks or register voters, I don't think you'll look at it</span>" are judgmental evaluations of someone else's character or thinking. I request that we all refrain from such…</p>
<p>Mark:</p>
<p>I feel that we have "an OC culture issue" emerging here. Not in your disagreements with C.A. but in the way you are choosing to express them. If I'm in C.A.'s shoes (and I have been during past exchanges with you), I'm feeling disrespected.</p>
<p>Zingers like "<span>since it won't help you pick up chicks or register voters, I don't think you'll look at it</span>" are judgmental evaluations of someone else's character or thinking. I request that we all refrain from such judgment. No judgment, no blame.</p>
<p>Also, I request that we refrain from giving advice, even when asked. That's hard to do, and even counter-intuitive for many of us (it was for me when I first encountered the concept of an "advice free zone). However anything less is, in my view, a form of patriarchy.</p>
<p>Rather than leaping into debate when someone offers ideas you dislike, what if you empathized with them? What if it was more important to be connected with that person as a fellow human being with their own gifts and brilliance, struggling as we all are to find the most meaningful way to offer them in service to the greater good? That doesn't mean we have to agree, or even be "sweet" or "nice." We can (and must!) be real. And we can (and must!) be compassionate and empathic.</p> What Mark said! Woot woot! …tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-22:6451976:Comment:262732012-06-22T13:37:06.010ZBen Robertshttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/BenRoberts
<p>What Mark said! Woot woot! Do you have a contact person, Anna?</p>
<p>What Mark said! Woot woot! Do you have a contact person, Anna?</p> That's terrific, Anna, thank…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-22:6451976:Comment:264632012-06-22T06:10:19.762ZMark E. Smithhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/MarkESmith
<p>That's terrific, Anna, thank you! I hope OC does link up with Reclaim America.</p>
<p>I find it exciting and inspirational to see the potential for Occupies and Occupy Cafe to learn from and network with others who have the common goal of creating alternative economies to heal and build.</p>
<p>This is practical, constructive, and a good way to focus our energy.</p>
<p></p>
<p>That's terrific, Anna, thank you! I hope OC does link up with Reclaim America.</p>
<p>I find it exciting and inspirational to see the potential for Occupies and Occupy Cafe to learn from and network with others who have the common goal of creating alternative economies to heal and build.</p>
<p>This is practical, constructive, and a good way to focus our energy.</p>
<p></p> You might want to link up wit…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-22:6451976:Comment:262682012-06-22T04:58:17.856ZAnna Harrishttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/AnnaHarris
<p>You might want to link up with these guys.</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; vertical-align: baseline;">HOST:</strong> NYCGA / Reclaim America…</p>
<p>You might want to link up with these guys.</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; vertical-align: baseline;">HOST:</strong> NYCGA / Reclaim America</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; vertical-align: baseline;">FOR WHOM:</strong> Anyone in Occupy, especially Occupy Farmers.</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Antistatists are welcome but encouraged to keep in mind that Reclaim America works with local officials to ensure food, water, and shelter are provided for activists. We do not have time to accommodate an unharmonious philosophy in discussing the project of building an alternative economy, we only have time to build… so in pure Anarchist form, affiliate with groups that share your principles. The principles of Reclaim America are to heal and build, no disruption or opposition.</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; vertical-align: baseline;">PURPOSE:</strong> To explain the radically constructive flank, or younger brother of Occupy. How to coordinate farming resources, community centers, and leaders in making an alternative economy.</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; vertical-align: baseline;">INTENDED OUTCOMES:</strong> To find out which Occupies wish to participate in showing livestream locally, and to begin discussions of trusted connections to the Reclamation network of farms and community centers.</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Organizers in Kansas City, San Fran, Albuquerque, London, South Africa are holding dinners and the like.</p>
<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px none; outline: 0px none; font-size: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">The Reclaim Project team will be in Philadelphia before the fireworks on the 4th of July. So we can also connect in Philadelphia beyond livestream.</p> C.A., the primary focus of OC…tag:www.occupycafe.org,2012-06-21:6451976:Comment:265572012-06-21T21:55:03.788ZMark E. Smithhttp://www.occupycafe.org/profile/MarkESmith
<p>C.A., the primary focus of OC is doing good. I know that micro-gradations of evil are extremely important to you, and that you'd prefer to focus on politics as usual than on change, but some of us would prefer to focus on change.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that Hillary is as bad as Cheney. Cheney didn't promote as many wars, wasn't complicit in as large bailouts, and although he may have wanted to, didn't accomplish as much evil as Hillary has.</p>
<p>What I'm saying is, and please listen…</p>
<p>C.A., the primary focus of OC is doing good. I know that micro-gradations of evil are extremely important to you, and that you'd prefer to focus on politics as usual than on change, but some of us would prefer to focus on change.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that Hillary is as bad as Cheney. Cheney didn't promote as many wars, wasn't complicit in as large bailouts, and although he may have wanted to, didn't accomplish as much evil as Hillary has.</p>
<p>What I'm saying is, and please listen carefully, that delegating power to the 1% is not a core concept I'd like to see OC focus on.</p>
<p>I don't care which war criminal is a bit more or a bit less evil than another war criminal, I don't think that the goals of OC can be achieved by focusing on war criminals. I don't think that trying to elect a less evil war criminal instead of a more evil war criminal should be a goal, focus, or even topic of discussion on OC.</p>
<p>Some of us are opposed to war. Just because the Democrats have started more wars than the Republicans, doesn't mean we are going to vote for Republicans because they start fewer wars. Republicans also start wars, albeit fewer wars, and those of us who are opposed to war are opposed to both Democratic and Republican wars. We don't believe that the fact that Bush and Cheney drone-bombed fewer babies than Obama and Hillary, is a reason to support any of them.</p>
<p>I don't suppose that I can possibly communicate with you, no matter what I say, because I've had many decades of experience with lesser evil voters and political operatives, and they all keep repeating the same scripts. I don't want to discuss politics as usual with you here or anywhere. I don't value having this discussion with you and I wish it wasn't necessary. There are plenty of political websites where you can discuss political candidates.</p>
<p>What I will say is that if you were in prison, and the guards gave you a choice between being put into a cell with a cellmate who had killed seven people, or a different cell with a cellmate who had only killed four people, I'm sure you would be grateful to be able to choose the cellmate who had only killed four people, because that one is obviously less evil than the other one. What you may not realize in making that selection, is that both potential cellmates are contract killers who work for the same crime syndicate, and that the only reason that one killed fewer than the other is because they joined the syndicate more recently. You also might not be aware that the one who killed fewer people is jealous of the reputation of the one who killed more people, and is hoping for a chance to kill more people to catch up--even if it means killing people without getting paid to do so, as reputations can be very important in prison.</p>
<p>My advice to you and to all those who believe in the importance of lesser evilism is to stay out of prison. You don't understand the system and you don't understand how systems shape people's behaviors. I'd suggest that you read Philip Zimbardo's book, <em>The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil</em>, but since it won't help you pick up chicks or register voters, I don't think you'll look at it.</p>
<p></p>