Not everyone can be physically present at an Occupy. But that doesn't mean we can't still participate in Occupy.
There are lots of things we can do, as individuals, in small groups within our local geographic area, at our local government levels, at the polls. We've moved beyond politics to genuine governance.
Yeah sure, we still have to deal with politicians, but if we're going to improve our country for all of us, we have to re-invent what "politics" is. Maybe we'll even have to abandon the word "politics" and replace it with "governance".
We have to be the change we want to see happen - and we have to supervise our elected employees.
I deliberately chose the word "employees" because that is exactly what they are - our employees - we hire them via elections (consider the election as a job application process), pay them out of our pockets, and expect them to do the work we don't have time to do, to speak up for us and to represent our interests and needs.
When they don't, we fire them by not electing them again.
In the meantime, while we're converting politics to governance, there are things we can do to model the future we want.
First, know who your elected employees are. You can plug your 9 digit ZIP code into Project Vote Smart and get a list of all of your elected employees, what elections are upcoming, voting records, issues, campaign records, public statements, and more. It's a relatively non-partisan site. There are probably others, but this is the one I support. Once you know who your very own elected employees are, you can find the information you need (ain't the internet wunnerful?) to make informed choices and decisions. You'll know what to write your elected employees about and you'll know when to question their actions. And you can do that in less time than you spend waiting for dinner at a fine restaurant.
Choose to not participate with Big Business as much as possible. I know, it's easy enough to move your accounts from big banks to local anks and credit unions, but it's not so easy when it comes to things like cell phone coverage. Pick how you spend your money and use it where it will have the most local impact.
Which brings us to shop local. Skip the chain coffee shops and seek out the local ones. Make your own coffee at home - the machines are cheap enough now. I know a lot of people will say it's more expensive to shop local. Maybe it is in some cases, but it's a short term savings.
Use cash or barter. This is part of the shop local concept. Paying cash will do wonders to improve your local economy. It will also have the side benefit of providing you with better service and you'll know the provinance of much of what you buy. It will bring back pride in workmanship if the seller and the buyer know one another.
Ignore advertising. I know, this is hard. I'm an infomercial slut, but I'm a discerning informercial slut and my purchases all add to my life. The problem with advertising is that it makes you feel worse about yourself - it's meant to so you'll go buy the product to feel better. That deodorant won't really get you the hot chick/dude, that box of choco-carbs won't make your child happy, and Mr. Clean really won't come clean your house for you. Commercials sell you a line of BS. Politicians running commercials are doing the same thing. Look deeper, past the commercials and the BS and get the facts. But don't rely on commercials for your information.
Cut back. The quest to own nearly everything made by man is a futile one. Be discerning about the items you accummulate. Buy what you need, certainly, there's no need to deprive yourself. But ask if you've been unduly influenced by commercials and the whole "buy buy buy" culture - do you really need it or will it sit collecting dust after one or two uses? You'll only get pennies on the dollar for what you spent and don't you have better things to spend your money on? Think about it before you buy it. Consider what you already own. Do you already have something that will do the same thing or something similar? Can you find it used for pennies on the dollar from someone who bought it and set it aside after a use or two?
Reuse, repurpose, recycle, reinvent, regift, and remodel. Shop garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, Craigslist, and so on before you visit a chain store to buy a cart full of stuff made in China. Re-make things instead of tossing them and buying new - or trade for something that's new-to-you.
Do it yourself. Do as much as you can yourself, and when you can't do it yourself, hire local people to do it for you. That keeps the money and skills local and improves the local economy as well.
Live as close to the source as possible. Why buy water bottled from a big city tap when your own tap water is potable and you can filter/sweeten it yourself. Why buy frozen fish when you can buy from a local fisherman or fish yourself? Locally made salsa is so much better than bottled salsa. And more. I'd love to see things diversified again, with local specialties that make it worth traveling to them. I avoid chains when I travel and try to seek out local mom-and-pops. Sometimes I lose out, but most of the time, I am happily and pleasantly surprised. What's the point of traveling if you're eating at the same restaurants you eat at back home, or shopping in the same stores, seeing pretty much the same sights?
Stand for something. Mother Teresa said something similar. If you are fighting against something, what will you do when you win - what were you fighting for? If you boycott something, what do you hope to accomplish other than making them stop? What change do you want to see happen? Visualize the change you want to happen and work for that instead of fighting against something.
Challenge things. Challenge commonly held beliefs. Ask why? And how? What will make it better? You don't have to challenge everything, but neither do you have to passively accept everything.
Be responsible for yourself, your loved ones, your neighbors, your co-workers. I know one of the things the Republicans talk about is personal responsibility, but they forget that we don't exist in a vaccum. Our entire society makes our lifes and lifestyles possible, which mean we are repsonsible for not just ourselves but what our actions do to our communities and neighbors and friends - our society. We contribute to the common good for our own sakes as well as others. So we expand that "personal responsibility". It's the concept of having each other's backs.
Occupy yourself, occupy your life, occupy your community.
Of course, you don't have to do any of this or even all of it. These are just suggestions and ideas.