The WHY Manifesto

"Never be deceived the rich will vote away their wealth." -Lucy Parsons
"If voting changed something, they would make it illegal." -Emma Goldman
"Women have no government." -Victoria Woodhull

I don't know what it was that instigated my involvement in Occupy Wall Street.
I can't pinpoint any particular moment that shattered my perceptions of the world.
It could have been one of thousands.
It could have been my recognition of the seemingly causeless depression that hangs like smog over urban centers and rural ruins.
It could have been driving through Gary, Indiana witnessing the modern ruins of a city, once thriving, now utterly abandoned.
It could be bearing witness to the individuals left helpless by our government in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
It could have been the pointless harassment of black youth in New York City.
It really doesn't matter, does it?

I know that the struggle for liberty is eternal.
I know we will never win absolute freedom from oppression.
I accept that arrogance and selfishness is an infinite plague, and that humanity, even it's most glorious moments will never completely eradicate the hoarding of resources.

That being said; I will never stop fighting.

I will not let my desires for freedom be glazed over by what seems to be an impenetrable fortress of mindless human weapons.
I will not allow fear to stand between me and my joy.
I will not eat the cake, so to speak.

I will, rather, bear witness to each act of indignant resistance.
I will glorify the people at every turn, and encourage revolt.
I will not be bystander to revolution.
I will deny the fate presented to me by the powers that be.
I will engage in daily acts of irrelevance.
I will forge psychic bonds with any and every people who stand against injustice.

When they stand, I will stand.
When they fall, I will fall.
When they rise, I will rise and so on until I stand facing death with satisfaction, assured that I have lived devoted to the true EVOLUTION of PEOPLE.

I care not your religion, your race or your language.
I care not your gender, your genes, your preferences.
I care only in your liberation from emotional, spiritual and physical bondage.

I may never meet you face to face, or hear your stories of struggle, but I will know them like the backs of my hands.
I will know them without words, without pictures.
Your story will be mine, and my story yours.