When I first started hearing about the Occupy movement I was immediately reminded of Robert Thurman’s book Inner Revolution in which he proposes a full-time, supported and even paid nonviolent peace army which would fight for justice, peace and changes in our society. It seemed to me the Occupy people were taking the first step toward being full-time activists and establishing ‘permanent’ protests instead of the ‘temporary’ protests and marches (however effective) used in the past. I just read the January issue of Shambhala Sun and there is an excerpt of a speech he gave in Zuccotti Park which references the ideas from his book.
I have also been thinking of Howard Zinn who argued that all true change in our society comes from the grassroots and travels ‘upward’. He didn’t live to see Occupy but it’s almost as if the Occupy people are all his students. People’s History, indeed!
And, ironically, there is a new documentary about Gene Sharp (the granddaddy of non-violent activism) which just came out and is being shown in theaters as well as Occupy sites all over the country.
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