I don’t know what it’s like to be you, but I do understand the warm feeling surging inside that comes from knowing you are a part of something bigger than yourself. I can relate to the pride in knowing that you are finally standing up to face “the man,” a David throwing stones at Goliath’s head.
I know you believe you are changing society, one voice at a time, and I get that. I love your passion. I love to see my generation getting off their couch, not just posting on Facebook about something, but rallying together and refusing to back down until change happens.
I know you’ve all been waiting for something to believe in, but I have to wonder, is this it?
Is there a better way?
I know what it feels like to feel like a victim, how easy it is to blame some mass conglomerate blurry face of evil for screwing you over, but let me tell you, it never ends well.
The need for justice is never satisfied. If you fight hate with hate no one wins.
I know you may be hurt, you may have suffered and I am not downplaying that.
But, do you want really overcome? You want to be a real hero? Try standing for something instead of against something. I feel convicted when I write this and I know it’s harder, it sucks practicing what you preach, and it’s in that place where you come face to face with your own hypocrisy.
It’s easy to throw out judgments on those big bad corporations, but what am I doing with my own money? How am I selfishly hoarding it instead of helping those in need?
How am I using my creativity to create jobs instead of complaining that there isn’t any?
How am I being Jesus to my neighbors? Do I realize it’s not the government’s responsibility to take care of those in need, but the churches? And I am the church.
No matter what is going on in Wall Street or the White House, it shouldn’t affect how I live my life and treat others, how I can bring change through love and grace.
It’s easier to yell and blame “the man,” and I know that.
We want to put a face on the problem, but real change comes when each of us realize “I am the problem,” and seek a solution outside of ourselves.
So, while I think it’s awful what our country has become and I hate the greed that drives things, while I can’t stand the injustice of arrests and the agenda of the media, while I love the passion and energy you display, I can’t say, dear Wall Street protestors, I am behind what you are doing.
Maybe true revolution comes quietly, and starts when each person stops being a victim and realizes the world is what we make it, that good is all around us, we just have to open our eyes.
Maybe we can all start directing our passion towards creating new things, offering new solutions, loving our neighbors and using our own resources to change things.
Then, people will be so drawn to the newness, the old system will inevitably collapse.
Sincerely,
Me
brookelouvier.com 
I have to admire how eloquently this is written. While I agree that “change comes from within”, I sincerely think that protesting counts for something. The two should go hand in hand.
Hi Akyere,
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂 I appreciate the comment.
I agree, sometimes protesting is necessary, my piece was more about focusing on personally responsibility.
Mm. True words, Miss Brooke. Thank you for saying it so gently and with so much love, it really makes a difference.
Hey, thanks for the kind words. 🙂
Hey there, Brookeluby. I would argue that whenever you stand at all it will be both against and for something. I don’t think you can separate the two. If one was against capital punishment then they would be for keeping the convicted alive. If one was against abortions then they would be for keeping fetuses alive. If one was against the greed and corruption of a political system that governed in favor of the richest 1% over the bottom 99%… then one would be for a political system that weighed each persons voice the same (a true democracy).
I think it is safe to say that people need to identify a problem before they can work out a solution. For something as huge as changing the way government operates, I believe that many people need to be on the same page. A lot of people need to agree that there is a problem and help work to fix it. That is how I justify the signs, the marches, the demonstrations, the rallies, and the general “loudness” of it all. Government is a huge problem and we need a lot of people to see the issue before we can enact real change.
I have spent a few days and nights occupying San Francisco and helping out the encampment. The inner works of the camp are exactly the “standing for” I think you want to see. The occupiers want a better governing body that listens to what they have to say and doesn’t keep secrets, so the occupiers create a general assembly where everyone is invited and makes decisions based on consensus.
Anybody who is part of an occupation is there because they believe we can really, truly change the world. This work of changing the world will be hard, maybe even impossible, without many hands and minds behind the cause. Do not criticize us if we wail while we work. We are loud because we need your help in order to fix what is broken. We have already begun this great work, but we cannot finish it alone.
Hi Jared,
Thanks for your comment. 🙂 It’s good to here from your perspective what is happening. From what I heard it has been chaos and confusion and a lot of people with not to many solutions. I was simply trying to encourage myself and others to try to focus on what we can do instead of what other people aren’t doing. My blog more about personal responsibility then anything political. I apologize if I sounded like I was criticizing, I am all for changing the world, I just don’t necessarily believe the way to do it is change the government. Thanks again for coming by. 🙂