Miami Dispatch: 11/15

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Finally it's my turn to speak. The rally is running late, and time is tight on the other end, so I decide not to do what I'd planned, which was to take 10 or 15 minutes for people to talk to each other. Actually, people have been talking to each other all day, in between and during speakers. The microphone is out in the hot sun, and I don't have a hat, so there are moments in the talk when I feel like I might pass out, but I don't. Fortunately, the speakers before me have thoroughly covered what's wrong with the FTAA, so I am freed to talk about the whole system of global corporate capitalism and the soulless values it represents, and to articulate our vision of a world that honors the interconnectedness of all things. I talk about the words that can so easily control us, words like "witch" and "anarchy," and why I use them deliberately to help us step out of the frame society constructs for the world and to think freely. I describe the scene at the convergence center the day before, with everyone working at their own projects: the artists making art, the gardeners setting up the graywater, Food Not Bombs setting up food, no one "in charge," no one telling people what to do, but lots of people stepping up and asking, "What needs to be done?" That's anarchy in action. And I talk about power, how systems of control can't stand if they have to use force to make sure their every rule is obeyed. But in standing up to them, we need to face our fear, and move beyond it. And when we do, we feel good. We ally ourselves with the great creative, transformative powers of the living world, the resilient healing forces of the earth, and we become invincible.

The rally has started late and runs late, so immediately after I run off for the nonviolent direct action training that's been scheduled. There are more than 60 people -- it seems that half the rally has come here, to yet another Unitarian Church to add to my collection. If the Unitarian Church did not exist, I honestly don't know how we would do this mobilization, where we would ever meet for talks or trainings.

I set people talking to each other about what they truly value, and what the world might look like if society supported those values. I always like to begin with something to kindle our vision. Then I run the group through a fast-paced training, aimed at sharing skills of grounding and staying calm in tense situations, assessing a situation and making conscious choices. The group includes many experienced people, and two young sisters, a beautiful teenager named Moonfire and an elfin 12-year-old girl named Silverfire who makes very astute comments. A strong contingent is coming to Miami, and we do some quick affinity group formation -- affinity groups being the small groups who will go into action together.

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