How do we overcome the fear towards change? Call it magic!

t_indignadx · December 8, 2011, 9:26pm

WHAT DRIVES ACTIVISM IS OPPS TO WHAT DRIVES INACTIVITY

Hello Noemi,

Thanks for your interest

I will be glad to answer your questions, of course!

to what extent do you stand up there for a personal reason and to what extent are you there out of solidarity, civicness, the idea of fighting for a better world?

I participate because I believe that since each one of us belong to society (which is global now), we are in a sense called to contribute to make a better world. My personal reasons are actually solidarity and civicness. I understand that people can choose not to participate (if they can contribute in many other ways, for instance -or al least- defending their own Civil and political rights) but in my case, my personal and professional qualifications somehow compel me to contribute to the cause. I am also in the movement for what I get from it: I am learning A GREAT DEAL, I am growing as a person and making hundreds of friends!

And also I notice you keep rephrasing answers in terms of “we” instead of I…- We want, we believe, we shall… is there something that you find in the workings of your organization that makes it so interesting to be part of it?

“We” is something philosophically very important for human beings, to feel and have the notion of being a part of something, In this case, as part of a global upraising, I feel connected and synchronized with people that are far away, they are culturally different, we will probably never meet, but we have many things in common. “WE” is very significant right now (it means humankind), it is used for achievements (team work, collective thinking) The “I” is used for “I compromise myself to carry over this task with love and generosity”, “I will happily participate of this common project”, “I am thinking about the ones who are not here but they also can get a benefit”

are you just a member of Indignados or are you founder/ someone from the higher end? (coordinator)…?

I am a founder because I was the first one in twon to join a bunch of 5 students and 5 unemployed one morning (May 17^th) in order to support their occupation.

There is no hierarchy within the “organization”, no higher end, every one is a leader (leader at home, leader of our own lifes and choices).

At the beginning I thought this was going to represent a conflict for OWS (maybe these lack of -ill and misled- leadership would be too “communist” for the American mindset) but surprisingly they decided to adopt the idea as well.

I am a coordinator, yes, I coordinate my own tasks and I work with coordinators all over the globe who coordinate their own area of responsibility with me.

I have a degree in IMS (Integrated Management Systems: HSEQ), I am also a junior project manager, from my professional point of view, the performance is so outstanding that, I we were a transnational we would have crushed some of the largest economies of the world already! (I am talking about those which are not precisely countries and grow fastest because of corruption)

PS: The reply that I offered is not a dream or utopia, Eurpeans can actually behave like this. I just I read what I wrote and I think “Gosh! Governments and public servants are supposed to behave and perform this way, because we pay them with our taxes and we elect them to do so!"

lyne_robichaud · December 11, 2011, 4:06am

Moi-nous

I really like your “WE”.

I use a different word, ‘oneness’. But it means the same thing, sort of.

Beautiful: ‘I feel connected and synchronized with people that are far away, they are culturally different, we will probably never meet, but we have many things in common.’

In November 2007, Margaret Chan (from World Health Organisation) declared: “We really are all in the same boat.”.

I wish government officials were aware of the connections and synchronicity.

WE-government.

I like to play with this concept and turn it around. ‘W’ upside down becomes a ‘M’. ME-government. There has been way too much ‘me, me, me’ around.

It’s time for a change, From ME to WE.

Last year, Thierry Saussez, ex-director of le Service d’information du gouvernement de la République française, wrote a blog post that caught my attention. This post is entitled ‘La société du soin’. He described the ‘WE’ well. Interestingly, he calls it the ‘moi-nous’.

"Au moment où s’installe dans le débat public l’idée d’une France morose, déboussolée, enfermée dans un collectif déprimé, tétanisée par toutes les crises, voici que s’insinue la réponse possible d’une société du soin dans laquelle les sphères publique et privée se confondraient, le bon sentiment tiendrait lieu de projet, l’assistanat généralisé de politique publique et l’Etat de grand thérapeute.

J’ai déjà fait remarquer ici même le paradoxe assez spécialement français d’un « NOUS » collectif effectivement déprimé mais d’un « je » individuel beaucoup plus volontaire (toutes les enquêtes en attestent).

Nous avons connu, voici quelques décennies, la tentation du nous collectif avec ses dérives vers le collectivisme, ses rêves de grand soir finissant en cauchemar.

Nous avons connu ensuite la tentation du repli sur soi-même, de l’individualisme, du moi-je, dominant, égoïste, au cœur sec qui rôde toujours.

La nouvelle génération peut promouvoir le MOI-NOUS, s’accomplir individuellement dans un projet de vie qui soit respectueux des autres comme de la planète, dans une véritable communauté de destin.

C’est bien ce défi que la société tout entière doit aider la jeunesse à relever."

I enjoyed how Saussez called this type of WE-society a society of care. This blog post stayed imprinted in my mind since I read it. I guess it could be called a fleeting flash of genius, a moment of truth. This post led Saussez to write a book.

I really would like to meet this Thierry Saussez in person one of these days… I’m sure there would be great discussions about ‘WE’.

Keep ‘weing’. That’s good,

t_indignadx · December 11, 2011, 1:52pm

ONENESS not allowed as political language…yet

0cm;line-height:13.5pt;background:white">Hello Lyn, Thanks for your kind words. I also use “oneness” but only within my special reduced group of thinkers. I learned (not early enough) that using the power of language is important in order to get the message through, oneness is not a word that a union member or a minister would understand. <p style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:

0cm;line-height:13.5pt;background:white">For as long as we are minority, I will have to keep “weing”, until we all are aware of the interdependence that link us as the reason why we have to work together…as one.

T