Occupy Diary

Blog by Natalia Grana

Wednesday 9th November: Having started what I describe as my first full-time “proper adult job” I become even more aware of the enormous and important job we “peace makers” have to do. I can fit in my peace-making activities around the hours of work which are school hours, and the children I help are primary age and mainly Muslim in my particular school so the Peace issue raises to an even higher profile (for me).

The teachers are very positive and in the main swinging to the left politically and I had passing thoughts and conversations about the idea that if all these very well-meaning but highly busy and work-a-day professional folk could join some sort of no-taxes-for-war scheme we could have a lot of power.  Most people if made aware of the capitalist scams – who they benefit in the main, how wars and oppression is all set up and the general seedy goings on of the mega-rich and power megalomaniacs – would all be up for a complete overhaul of the system.  I feel it in my bones we are ripe as a society for MAJOR changes.

I have got together with a few like-minded individuals under the name MAM (Manchester Against Militarism)  and we met up again this week-end at a squatted social centre “okcafe “which has now tatted down, but will grace our city’s empty buildings again in the not too distant future. WE will have to decide as a collective what our next moves and campaign focus will be. The last thing we did was a few of us went down to DSEI arms fair in London and a  few of us picketed the Baby fair in Manchester Exhibition centre with banners and flyers telling the poor unsuspecting people entering the fair about the fact that Clarion who host the baby fair also host DSEI arms fair.

I am all for awareness-raising as well as much needed direct action, although I am un-arrestable at the moment, (but want very much to learn how to support in legal and other helpful ways) I also plan to do some more research into the history of how the world was hoodwinked into allowing these mega-rich individuals to make off with all the loot.

Apparently a Rothschild business/family has property in Manchester so perhaps we can have a little try at speaking truth and unconditional love to the powers that (currently) be. For me personally and a lot of others out there this ol’ political scene needs infusing with deep and spiritual (or if that word sits uncomfortably with you – human) aspects and levels.  I want to quote from a website I discovered recently called www.realitysandwich.com:

“The consciousness movement has the sacred task of integrating our understanding of Spirit and Psyche into the rapidly unfolding movement for planetary justice and social regeneration.  This global movement [OCCUPY] is part of an initiatory process for humanity as a whole that will bring about a transformation of both the individual  and collective ego-structure”