Occupy Wall Street and the way forward
Another type of ‘climate change’ seems to be taking place
Occupy Wall Street movement spreads to Portland (Photo by: S51438 via Wikimedia)
People have been talking about ‘climate change’ for a while now, from the record-breaking droughts in Texas, to the alarming intensity of typhoons and hurricanes all across the globe, to the overwhelming precipitation the world over.
However, another type of climate change seems to be taking place. It became more pronounced in early 2011 with the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, but has gained momentum and strength in the last couple of months elsewhere. I speak of course, about the “Occupy” movements and “World Revolution Day” spanning the globe.
It seems to be driven by an overall sense of discontent, due in large part to the economic crises every nation has experienced. There is talk about the chasm between Wall Street and Main Street, how 1% of our population controls 99% of the wealth, and so on.
I know when I see the people around me, there does seem to be a general sense of malaise and unhappiness. This got me wondering–if the protesters on Occupy Wall Street and all over got what they asked for, would that be it? Would everyone go home and live happily ever after?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. As the saying goes, ‘if it’s not one thing, it’s another’. People in general are unhappy. 
While our leaders and the heads of corporations are responsible for the creation and administration of the law and overall health of society, they cannot control our own individual happiness. We can lobby for economic reforms, protest insurance and price gouging, immigration issues, and so on. But the fact of the matter is, people are looking externally for solutions that ultimately, lie within.
We cannot hold others responsible for destiny that we ourselves must go through, even if they are leaders of the free world. Nor can we hold them responsible for the day-to-day happenings in our lives.
What then, is the solution? Only by uplifting ourselves spiritually (as opposed to financially, physically or psychologically – together or individually), can we gain the contentment and happiness that other means fall short of helping us obtain.
Also, over the last few decades, we have seen that no matter who leads us, our situation hasn’t improved. This is because Righteousness is at an all time low. Righteousness is required for good leadership and develops by doing spiritual practice. It benefits both us as individuals and society as a whole.
As we uplift ourselves spiritually by undertaking spiritual practice, we also understand who are best suited to lead us. As a side-effect of society’s overall spiritual ill-health, we are poorly equipped to select leaders who aren’t finally self-serving or who don’t have an agenda to fulfill. Only with spiritual maturity will we know who true leaders are and that, regardless of how we may as individuals prosper or flounder, they are working in the best interests of society.
So while we may make time and allocate energy to Occupy our local municipalities, maybe we could also set aside some time to let Spirituality occupy a space in our lives. Just a thought.
Maya Jairam
SSRF team member
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Awww i was hoping this article was a bit longer
. It was still a good read though. When you asked “Would everyone go home and live happily ever after?” i said yes, but only temporary.
Some of the protesters also do mass meditation. I saw a few videos on it a few weeks back.
A very thoughtful view but ….
Reality is different from an Utopian dream. Wise people like you are a minority. If you can make yourself into an imposing personality through spiritual practice, I believe that you can then become a light for others also.
But the change must be with oneself first. All leaders in the past have.
A nice article and well said. The happiness will only be temporary and without some form of spiritual progress and introspection, we will always lose righteousness and never live in a peaceful society.
It is true that each one of us is controlled by one’s own destiny, which, as you may be aware, is known as the Law of Karma in Hindu Vedic Scriptures. An awareness of sprituality and meditating upon it would help the individual in accepting what life delivers to him. But, since most of us are not “realized” as the great sages such as Ramana or Vivekananda, we, frequently, get consumed by the miseries that fall on us and look for solutions and persons to blame. If everyone went down the path of spirituality, as you suggest, life would, indeed, be pretty good. I am not saying that everyone will be happy or there will be less of miseries, sickness, famine or flood and so on. But, we will know that each one surrounding us is doing the best he can and that none is trying to undermine someone else. Unfortunately, that thought can only be a dream. Even if we choose to remain isolated, choosing what we do, how we do etc, we will be impacted by the actions of individuals and events around us. Given the nature of human beings, it is doubtful if there is a good leader at all who could muster cooperation of everyone he can depend upon to lead for the betterment of everybody instead of favoring a select group. From that view point, I think it is good that the “Occupy” kind of protests are good. If properly organized with specific solutions, as Bill Clinton said last week in Letterman Show, we could expect something positive from the current, runaway, corrupt atmosphere which is destroying the lives of thousands of family, for no faults of their own.
Dear Satish, Rajendran and other readers,
You raise very good points. This is not to say we should be quiet and not raise an issue when such problems arise. Silence is tacit consent. It is actually degrading to dharma in society, to sit idly by.
However, one thing to note is that without the basis of spiritual practice, leaders will easily fall into power struggles and ego trips. Countless people have started in the government sector, tried to be civil servants, etc. all with the intention of making things better, putting them right. However, therein lies part of the problem. They think “I know what is best” or “I know what the problem/solution is”. This becomes their eventual downfall. And we elect them in their places because we think they will solve our problems. So, society also enables them for selfish reasons. It’s a vicious cycle, really.
For this reason, it is critical that spiritual practice be factored in to the solution-finding. Only then will society, as well as our leaders, understand what will benefit and uplift society and help each individual to live out their life’s purpose in the best way. Further, when something goes awry, we as people in the fabric of society will be able to discern when something in our lives is due to destiny or some other spiritual factor, and accordingly seek and take appropriate measures.
Those who have a strong spiritual basis, and make their vocation of leader a true spiritual practice, will have divine backing. So there won’t be any question of being able to galvanize the masses
It will take time and patience, as well as effort on each of our parts, however. Unfortunately, we all want a quick and permanent fix. I guess the best we can do is to ourselves live by example–at all levels; physical, spiritual and psychological. But like with most transformative processes, it will take time before the spiritually capable leaders rise to the surface, so to speak.
That said, let’s see how we all can’t make an effort to uplift ourselves and those around us spiritually. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be the first dominoes in a long line if great things to come
maya
It is not necessary to justify a just cause. Just like it is not necessary to justify spiritual practice. The occupy-cause is for the well being of all. This is already just and righteous. It is a first step towards not allowing abuse, or victims. A spiritual cause does not imply silence, rather it implies sharing your voice and love. The occupy movement is giving a voice to deep injustices.
The Occupy movement is the dissatisfaction with greed. However the monetary system rewards this very behavior. Although demonstration promotes awareness, it does little to remove the underlying motivation, cause and behavior of this movement. Acquisition of land natural resources for self benefit at the expense of the environment and the masses is all a by product of the way the monetary system works. Money or wealth is created by the creation of need. If there is not a natural need, one will be invented. We are all indoctrinated early on, on what is happiness and what is needed to sustain happiness. Examples: new car means success / more and costly Christmas gifts defines holidays / the more costly the gift, the more a person loves you / a person who is nice looking is often honest / if your team has lost the match, your team is a loser / God is on our side / God bless my country. These values are merely a symptom of ignorance and conditioning.
Money is like water, the more vacuum that is created, the more water is accumulated. The vacuum is often a promotion/conditioning superficial need, production of an environment that promotes sickness, inferior materials, products and fear.
There would be little success in making those who hold key positions more spiritual nor do we have the resources to educate the masses of the spiritual change we each must undergo.
I would liked to have seen some guidance on individuals taking action to improve world conditions.
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