Information about OWS not heard from the mass media

There is a plethora of information, much of it exaggerated in mythical hyperbole about what the “Occupy” movement is doing that is seen as harmful, what they should be doing and are not saying. The most ubiquitous comment that I hear from people is that OWS does not have a focus or clear message. Other comments I hear are these are “Lazy dirty hippies that need to take a bath and get a job”. When I have tried to engage people making these comments, my first two questions are: (1) Have you participated in any OWS protests in your local community? (2) Where did you get your information about OWS? There consistent answers are “No” I have not participated in any protests, and I watched the protests on TV. When I receive any information I try to keep my “Critical Thinking” light on at all times to safeguard me against corrupted or incomplete information. If I never participated in or observed first hand any event how can I be assured that the information that I am getting from another second hand source is credible? Secondly if I am receiving information from a secondary source, such as the mass media, which has had a long standing and even more so these days, a reputation for very poor journalism and intellectual integrity, how can I be so naïve to accept their reporting as being objective and thorough? Who does the mass media serve, let’s follow the money? The mass media is nothing more than a delivery system to bring observers and followers to the Madison Avenue table of advertisers who are the ones who bring in the money for the multi-national corporations. Anyone believing that the mission of the mass media is to objectively and thoroughly enlighten their audience has little understanding of mercantile economics. Do not ever be fooled into believing that the mass media is here to serve you the truth and objective focus on most events. I speculate that there is an emotional component in all of us that wants to believe in our traditional paternalistic institutions such as family, religion, less so government, and lastly our so called journalistic sources. What would our lives be like if we were constantly skeptical, never trusting, and always questioning the validity of our so called leadership icons? Well fortunately there are people, institutions, and moral foundations that we can choose to comfortably believe in. The most important person in our lives should be ourselves with a goal to try know ourselves as thoroughly as we can and to be grounded in our knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately our culture of consumerism, superficial entertainment, and empty values deteriorates our true feelings of self worth and confidence. Some of us have heard about or read the protest signs that say, “Audit the Fed”, “Down with corporate personhood”, “Get money out of politics”, “Wars do not bring peace”, etc., but I have determined that the underlying message of OWS is that we have to start building and nourishing local community based centers of power and influence, thereby reducing the lopsided mega power of “Washington”. Within the many occupy groups people are discussing improved ways of living that will bring us more joy, peace of mind, and better physical and mental health. Americans suffer from an inordinate amount of depression. Much of the depression is not just genetic, but it is caused by human disconnection from another, distractions from our spiritual essence caused by too much technology and materialism, and by a mass media and government that we cannot trust to be truthful. There is a myth that participants in the OWS are primarily unemployed, misplaced Americans. This myth is incorrect, when I participated in the OWS protests I met lawyers, teachers, doctors, theologians, business people such as myself, other professionals, and many employed or self employed people who are serious about changing our broken system. An article in Mother Jones magazine show cased some people who had given up good paying day jobs to seek more personal satisfaction in trying to improve our society then just toiling for money. Amin Husain, 36 of Brooklyn said,” I had practiced corporate finance in Midtown for a large law firm and left it about two and half years ago, largely because I felt like I was making too much money. When I got my first $70,000 bonus check I cried. I didn’t believe I was worth that much. And I didn’t feel happy. I was one of the original organizers. On August 2nd, I was there by the raging bull statue for our first General assembly meeting to plan Occupy Wall Street. There were about 20 to 30 people there. There were a few key times in history, and this was one of them, and you feel it. I spend about 15 hours a day working on this stuff. And I’m not billing anyone. People have left their jobs, and they are committed to this because of what it is. What people don’t understand is that this is a popular uprising in the making. There is absolutely no question about it.” The leaders of our elite driven political system promote separateness in order to “Divide and Conquer”. We should not succumb to this age old political tactic. Every day I sit in our local coffee shop and over hear people on the Right bashing those on the Left, and equally I hear those on the Left bashing those on the Right. Rarely do I over hear those on opposite sides of the political divide trying to sit down with one another in a real listening and respectful manner in order to really hear what the other person is saying. It is human nature to want be in an environment that reinforces our present positions; after all our delicate egos are big stakeholders in the being right game. Thanks to the Benicia Herald I have made some good friends of some of my fellow OP-ED contributors who have a somewhat different view politically then myself. I have had stimulating conversations with these very intelligent men at the Relik bar over a beer and a cocktail. If Ronald Reagan could have made a good friend of Tipp O’Neil, then why can’t the rest of us just stop hanging out with the choir and start offering an olive branch to other side. The Military Industrial Complex has proven time and time again that there is big profit’s to be made in uncivilized conflicts. Why should we keep feeding that nasty over grown destructive beast that saps our financial and intellectual resources? In conclusion I have drawn that the real lessons to be drawn from the OWS movement is that we should focus our energy on building community, being more sustainable, self sufficient, thinking locally, taking back our power, and sacrificing some our time to participate in changing our dysfunctional societal paradigm that continues to erode the joy and financial and physical health of the 99%. So before you become quick to judge the motives of OWS, please take an hour or two to directly observe or participate in a OWS protest. If you are so inclined pickup a protest sign with the rest of the group and join in the energizing chants; you will come away from the experience a different person; feeling that you are potentially part of a solution.