Occupy movement advised to create a vision

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The Occupy movement must clearly voice what it wants, and not just say what it doesn't like, if it is to succeed, an activism mentor told protesters in Canada.

The movement -- which started as Occupy Wall Street in New York Sept. 17 and now claims groups in more than 2,200 cities and towns worldwide -- is saying "no" to many things it considers consequences of the current system, Institute for Sacred Activism Director Andrew Harvey told Occupy Vancouver protesters in the British Columbia city.

These consequences include what the movement sees as corporate greed, environmental devastation, social and economic inequality and the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, he told a growing tent city outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, a regular gathering spot for protests and demonstrations.

"But saying no will not be enough for a world-global movement," said Harvey, author of "The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism."

The movement must also say "a huge, wild, deep, peaceful, passionate yes" to a radically new vision, he said. The vision must be "so inspiring and [the movement's] dream for the future so noble and so encouraging that millions of people who are now ready to wake up will want to join," he said in remarks videotaped and posted on YouTube.

The Occupy movement must not be seen "simply as a reaction, but as an eruption ... for a wholly new way of being and doing everything on every level, in every realm," said Harvey, of suburban Chicago, who is also a religious scholar.

The movement "very soon" will also need to get "very much smarter and more organized," he said, recommending Occupy groups integrate into a cohesive global movement that speaks "with one immense, strong, calm but absolutely indomitable voice" for transformation and is represented by new political parties in countries.

"Do not let the existing structures co-opt this movement," he told the activists.

The existing political and corporate structures are dedicated to preserving the system the movement seeks to change, he said.