'These protestors, who are actually few in number, have contributed nothing. They're parasites. They're pure, genuine parasites. Many of them are bored, trust-funded kids, obsessed with being something, being somebody. Meaningless lives, they want to matter.'  - Rush Limbaugh

Everything we know about our history - everything man has recorded up until this present moment - all of it has taken six thousand years. Every single one of those years were based on greed. Every one of those years functioned under the mandate of a priviledged few controlling entire nations. The entire history of man has been centered on the tenets of greed, corruption and destruction; every century rife with its own particular injustices, cruelties and murder.

That six thousand year era is finally coming to an end. The people have found their voices, despite being kept occupied over the millenia with material trinkets, wars, petty hates and pithy entertainment. In one incredible year, the people of the world have seen through these diversions, risen up and made themselves heard. They want a new way of living. They want a world of equality, of transparancy, of compassion, of freedom. A world not based on greed and unecessary consumption. A world unlike anything we have known before. Never before have so many individuals risen together to overcome oppression, first political and then financial. Our amazing transition began on December 17, 2010 when Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian, set himself on fire in protest against police corruption and ill treatment. One man, a simple street vendor, ultimately began what is now known as the Arab Spring. 

As of today Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have all overthrown their heads of state. Libya in particular has endured enormous loss of life in their battle for freedom against corruption. Throughout many other Arab countries, the revolutions continue and heads of state are sacking their governments or promising not to re-run in the next election. The people do not accept this as a sufficient enough change, so the demonstrations continue. 

Despite violent attacks against the protestors, the Arab Spring continues to gain momentum, and perhaps soon each country will have a new, emerging democratic government, one that is made of the people, for the people. It is, for the Arab nations a beginning that will never be forgotten. A beginning that has been paid for in blood.

Main St. not Wall St.

The demonstrations that brought about the radical changes in Arab countries are now being mirrored in western countries. Millions are rising up and being counted, amassing in major cities, uniting for change against corrupt governments, banks and corporations. Everything we know in our world, our systems, our beliefs, even our paradigms - all of them are being challenged to change. The paternal elitist hierachy that has controlled civilisation since ancient times is finally in the process of being dismantled. We are wading into completely unknown waters and doing so bravely. The system that has guided and controlled the path of history has rotted away and those who have been oppressed by it are rising up and willing to risk their lives to live freely and transparently.

So who is the real 'enemy' that we are fighting against? Those occupying Wall St. have given us a label, the '99%', a beautiful and succinct description of the majority under the thumb of a mere 1%. There is considerable discussion online about the NWO, about who the players are and exactly what it is they are doing to our world - although all of it is speculative, with none of it, as yet, based on concrete evidence. 

While it is clear there definitely seems to be the appearance of an overarching agenda that is controlling our lives, somehow administered by the wealthy elite, perhaps the reality is much more sinister than what we have speculated on. Perhaps each person who is in the position to make a decision which affects the lives and welfare of hundreds or thousands, possibly millions of people in a negative way, but fundamentally benefits them in a largely financial way, is really what the root of the NWO is. Perhaps the NWO is merely the amalgamation of thousands of people who have the individual power to hurt others simply by being greedy. Put together all that greed will manifest itself in many ways, from poor employment prospects because cheap labour is available in countries like China (where the cheap labour suicide rate is staggering), to corruption in the pharma industry to prevent cures for cancer from being taken to the market, so they can keep selling their pills and making billions in profit, to factory farming where the farmers themselves are virtual slaves to the system that 'owns' them. And let's not forget the misery and horrors that earth's creatures also suffer under this aegis of greed.

But now we are changing the world. Despite the efforts of the 1% to blind us for thousands of years, we now see the results of their greed and can expose those who are greedy. It is they who are stopping us from living a life in harmony with each other and the planet.  

We are the 99% and we have the power to manifest positive change. And when we do, we must remain aware of what we have overcome so we do not fall into the same traps those before us have fallen into. If we can live a life without greed, a brave new world awaits us. A world of shared knowledge, of scientific advances, of open access to information, music, writing, film and art, of self governing enlightened individuals, a world of free medicine, a world of compassion to all the creatures of earth, a world of respect for fellow man. A world we can be proud of creating and being part of. A marvellous world. A world without end.

Originally published on Paradigms Bend Oct 24 2011