I am the 99%

I am the 99%
I am elemental.
I will not go away,
even if I'm not in your face.
If you refuse to hear me
I will remove my cooperation
and passively resist.
I want to be of service to the world,
but have boundaries with being unfairly used
to make a few people wealthy,
as if I am a commodity.
I am a human being
and I deserve to thrive.
To those who would prefer an Alpha dog eat underdog world,
I must disagree.
I firmly believe that there MUST
be traits we collectively choose to exhibit
to set us apart from the animal kingdom.
(beyond our opposable thumbs)
Empathy,
Compassion,
the knowledge that we are ONE,
as interconnected as the leaves, branches, and roots
of a tree;
and as such, we are only as strong
as our weakest link.
We must bridge the gap between
the mind
and the heart.
Without heart, we disconnect from our humanity.
It starts with me.
It starts with you.
It starts within each one of us.
By being the change we want to see,
we are taking responsibility for our own part.
Each choice ripples out beyond ourselves
like the rings formed when a pebble is tossed into a pond.
It doesn't have to be big.
Small actions and in actions add up.
Every day matters, they add up too.
As the winter holidays and the New Year approach,
it is the perfect time
to reflect on our choices.
Many stores depend on holiday shopping,
and our succumbing to marketing.
By all means, make use of sales
to purchase needed items.
But also try to be creative
in your gift giving.
Consider making gifts, or baking gifts.
Consider giving gifts of services.
Most people get their hair cut,
at least occasionally...
and most people could benefit
from a good professional massage.
By all means,
consider buying from smaller businesses
instead of giant corporations.
Try to buy locally produced items.
There are many artisans and craftsmen
who would greatly appreciate the business.
Consider avoiding items which will
only be used for a short time,
before they add to our landfills.
These changes are possibly
more important
than camping out.
So much of this is about money.
Hence, where we spend what money we do have
matters.