The Occupy Movement

It's been quite some years, 30 years or thereabouts, where I was anything but pessimistic about the state of the world. Yet now I feel enthused by the Occupy movement, and the fires of hell burn deep once again. As my dear friends will tell you once you got me on the subject of politics I'd climb aboard my hobby horse and mostly rail against the capitalist system, largely because of my deep abhorrence of it.

For me, capitalism has always been a 'black & white' subject, driven by my own practical experiences and the injustice that went along with that. Such thoughts that I had were moulded by long stretches of my own life living in relative poverty, brutally at times, and living in a hierarchical class structure where opportunity wasn't a given, or more often than not denied, my abhorrence and blinkered view firmly held sway. And that's the very point of it all, when you cloak yourself with a heavy mantle of political persuasion you fail to see the wood for the trees.

Despite that, I now find myself questioning such a naturally blinkered view because I've discovered there's a different way of looking at capitalism, one that largely is inspired by a young man, who for the last few days has kept me glued to my chair due to his reporting of the events taking place in Zugatti Park, or Liberty Platz as it should be more correctly referred to. His name is Tim Pool, and the most refreshing service he's done to this ancient cobwebbed brain of mine, is to blow the bloody things away.

As someone who who makes a lot of use of the web for any number of reasons, mostly to do with learning and self learning, I've often remarked how joyous the learning process is by the endless examples of young Americans and their selfless behaviour in patiently explaining the joys and headaches of technology; such young enthusiastic minds have saved me an enormous amount of time, for which I'm eternally grateful, which brings me back to Tim.

Tim is the product of Capitalist America, and he knows that the system he is a part of is broken. When listening to him he speaks with clarity, purpose and unbiased objectiveness. As he reports on the events around him, he does so because he cares deeply that his country is being ripped apart by the very failure that once made the USA an economic 'superpower'. More importantly he's extremely aware of the corruptness that runs like a torrential torrent through the last bastion of democracy, the media or 'Fourth Estate.' As you listen to Tim you hear behind the voice a calm reasoning of the events taking place, a maturity beyond his worlds and own world view. He knows that capitalism, in its present form, no longer provides any answers. Listening to him you realise that his 'voice' is the reasoned American one, searching for answers capable of bandaging the wounds and scars of battle. Above all he knows that the 'American Dream' must become something entirely different.

Tim believes in democracy, he also believes in some form of capitalism that is beneficial beyond the American borders. Tim, and many of his peers, know intimately that the world is no greater than a global village. As I sit watching him reporting from New York, he reaches out to the rest of the world and they become involved. There have been times when his constant reporting has driven him to the point of collapse, as on Wednesday last, yet the world responded by showing its care, and perhaps love.

Tim is the future. He may get that future wrong. But what the world needs now more than anything are reflective minds that can make a real difference in some way, however small that difference. From me Tim, sitting in Germany 6,000 miles away, thank you for the opportunity of being in your company, and helping 'old dogs' think again.

Tim can be found here: http://wearetheother99 & @Timcast (Twitter)