An open letter to Occupy Melbourne

Learning to act cooperatively for the greater good is a hard road, fraught with the dangers of interpersonal conflicts and squabbles that can distract us from the bigger issues of injustice.

In the light of the difficulties some Occupy groups are now having, and the steep learning curve for all of us in terms of how best to achieve that fairer, more just world, we need to step back from the emotional whirlpool.

Nonviolence teacher and longtime peace activist Simon Moyle has some important things to share with the Occupy movement. The recent police violence has heightened tension within the movement, but it is important that we maintain that compassionate view that has brought us all together.

I hope you enjoy reading Simon's letter:

"Firstly, let me say thankyou for what you are doing for a fairer and more compassionate world. I spent a bit of time around the camp in week one, and experienced it as an inclusive space where significant conversations were taking place.

What follows is my hopes, my encouragements, for what they’re worth, from someone who has studied and participated in social change movements in some depth.

What we saw at last Friday’s eviction was just the first skirmish in a larger struggle, a struggle which may take years and must be conducted nonviolently if it is to succeed in birthing a better world than the one in which we currently live. And by ‘nonviolently’ I do not mean merely the absence of violence but the robust, active, public, persistent transformation of wrong.

Now the real struggle begins."

Read the rest here: http://smoyle.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/an-open-letter-to-occupy-melbourne/