What are we waiting for?

I am very excited to share with all of you my first post on Evolver. I am so pleased that there is a network that allows us to use our conversation through technology as a tool for change rather than profit. Thank you Daniel Pinchbeck and everyone who have also made contributions; no matter how big or small.

My journey towards enlightenment has recently begun for me. I was in a relationship that tore away at my insides day by day. I came to the conclusion that this was the best that things were going to get for me. I constantly lived with a sense of fear, and this is what kept me stuck in that place. One of the biggest decisions of my life was to leave this relationship that reinforced so much negative energy. I knew there was more, and I wanted to be part of it. I consciously chose to join it. I didn’t know where I would find it or how I would get there, but I knew it was out there waiting for me.

As soon as I made this conscious decision to love and celebrate life, rather than to live in fear: I was able to surpass the anxieties that have ailed me all my life. It was the first time that I no longer took medication that my doctors told me would cure me of this exact occurrence. I have never been happier. Ever since I chose this path, my decisions have continuously led me to life I envisioned for quite some time.
It is time to step up to the plate and do something with this newfound awareness. I owe it to myself, and the rest of humanity; to use harness my potential to create change.

Now that I had a clear direction, I sensed the urgency of knowledge. I needed to be at the root of the conflicts, in order to understand them. I found a study abroad program that was offered through my university. It focused on one particular global issue for the semester through hands on, experiential coursework. I picked the program in Ghana that studied Social Transformation and Cultural Expression. I couldn’t be more excited to challenge myself, put outside of my comfort zone, in order to gain a new perspective of the world. However, my parents did not see the urgency of my vision. Since they were the ones funding the trip, they decided that it was too dangerous to go for the Spring semester.

I couldn’t believe that something I wanted so bad, that was so justified, I would not be able to do because of my own parents fear holding me back. I was suddenly lost in my sense of a clear direction. Many anxious feelings of the past started to arise and seep into my body and spirit. But I knew that this type of energy is not what got me where I am today. I stopped this cycle in it’s tracks, and reversed my pattern. As soon as I made this decision consciously, a spiritual light entered through my energy field. Maybe there was something I had to do before I went abroad, something that would make my experience more meaningful?

I started thinking about ways I could create change while living in Colorado, because I needed to keep moving forward. The network in my mind fired away. It was almost as if someone had whispered this idea into my ear, because it came to me so suddenly. The three words that came into my head were: Share Our Wealth. Why did this come to my mind? It fit so perfectly with the current occupy demonstrations. This could be a way to relate directly to the social movement, and actually implement change, rather than just suggesting it. A way to funnel money directly to the people who need it from those who have it.

After discovering this idea, I immediately looked on the internet to see if this campaign was already coined. This is the point where I realized that this idea that popped into my head was much more than just a coincidence. What I found on the internet was that “Share Our Wealth” was a campaign by Huey Long, a senator from Louisiana. I felt like I had just opened a treasure chest that had been locked away for thousands of years. As I started to read Huey Long’s biography [which you should to truly understand the enormity of this discovery, link posted at bottom] it was so eerily relevant to the time we are living in.

During the time of the great Depression, Long proposed many ideas that were seen as very radical at the time. He targeted big corporations in order to stimulate a redistribution of wealth that would save the economy. His motto was “Every Man a King, but no one wears a crown.” He believed that the Federal Reserve Bank was the root of the Great Depression. He tried to pass many progressive bills in order to initiate a change to the current system. Some of his provisions included:

1. No person would be allowed to accumulate a personal net worth of more than 300 times the average family fortune, which would limit personal assets to between $5 million and $8 million. A graduated capital levy tax would be assessed on all persons with a net worth exceeding $1 million.
2. Annual incomes would be limited to $1 million and inheritances would be capped at $5 million.
3. Every family was to be furnished with a homestead allowance of not less than one-third the average family wealth of the country. Every family was to be guaranteed an annual family income of at least $2,000 to $2,500, or not less than one-third of the average annual family income in the United States. Yearly income, however, cannot exceed more than 300 times the size of the average family income.
4. An old-age pension would be made available for all persons over 60.
5. To balance agricultural production, the government would preserve/store surplus goods, abolishing the practice of destroying surplus food and other necessities due to lack of purchasing power.
6. Veterans would be paid what they were owed (a pension and healthcare benefits).
7. Free education and training for all students to have equal opportunities in all schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions for training in the professions and vocations of life.
The raising of revenue and taxes for the support of this program was to come from the reduction of swollen fortunes from the top, as well as for the support of public works to give employment whenever there may be any slackening necessary in private enterprise.

Even though it is now decades later, we are still in the same situation we were in the depression. But this time, we will not get a second chance. The saddest part to this story was that Huey Long’s movement and legacy was lost when he was assassinated on September 10, 1935. The year before he planned to run for President. He had many opponents, people who were afraid of these ideas that would promote equal opportunity, and instead wanted to keep the system the same and continue to profit.

After discovering Huey Long’s fight for equality, I feel that I owe it to him to resurface this campaign and share it with you. Let’s keep his momentum going and pick up where he tragically left off. It is time to actively participate in this movement and implement change. We have been criticized that we do not have a clear purpose in the Occupy protests. We have shown the world that there is a global outcry for a new model, a new system. Now is the right time to come together, gather our resources and start building a platform. Change can only start from the ground up, through the people. I thought that “Share Our Wealth” programs could be a jumping off point for this. But I cannot do this alone. Please let me know what your thoughts are or if you would like to help continue this vision.

PLEASE READ Huey Long Biography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Long