by Matthew Forbes 

It's 2012, people.  The year of the Dragon.  A year of unexpected changes, of power to those bearing noble hearts, of perseverance in the actions we have taken, of adherence to new undertakings.  

We have each lost our way at some point, have felt that tightening of our hearts that comes from facing our fears that this could be hopeless, that we cannot achieve the goals or changes we would see come to fruition.  We have had our clarity at times diminished by infighting, by despair, by the sheer vast power and strength of our opposition.

It's time we all took that moment of reflection as to why we are here, why we Occupy, why we chose to place ourselves in these ranks of battle.  Because, honestly, that's what this is... a war against those who would serve to abuse the most fundamental aspects of humanity... our rights to live as we choose and not be directed, controlled, or commanded by a meager few who believe that the privilege of money provides them the greatest amplitude of power.

This is the time to choose, for good or ill, where we each stand.  There is no element of modesty or honor in choosing the middle ground, waiting to see who the victor will be.  Down that path lies your own ruin. 

Let's be honest.  This is not a class war; rather, it is a war to declare that humanity, that people, are of greater importance than profit or individual power.  This is a battle amongst our own species to determine as to whether h*** clementia or h*** lucrum, mercy and humanity versus personal gain and profit, will be the one's who dictate how lives should be lived, how our rights should be written and perceived.

Would you rather stand aside and let the powerful assume even greater power or would you see the greatest of good accomplished for all people?  Would you let your own rights be lost because of indifference or a simple dispute with those who are still writing the same pages as you? 

This is our time to step forward, bolster and strengthen our ranks against the powers behind the powers that be.  We must arm ourselves with uncivil words, with decisive actions, and the knowledge that we all fight for the same, general cause regardless of our specific and individual views on it.  We must stand shoulder to shoulder, strengthened by our unity and solidarity of purpose, an armored phalanx of shared ideals against the approaching arrow-storm of oppression and self-satisfied gluttony.

This is a time to reflect upon the very nature of ourselves as human beings, on the depths of our souls, of who we are.  Dig deep, find and renew your courage, your honor, your nobility of purpose with which to combat those of more arrogant nobility.

This is a new year, the Year of Occupy.

Let us not squander it with dissension, but create the foundation of successes upon which to build even greater ones.  Let us be the architects of that brighter future we have only read about in books, the authors of a "happily ever after" for the whole of humankind. 

This is our year.  This is our time. 

Do not be the change you wish to see... live it, experience it, nurture it, until it blossoms into something greater than any of us have imagined.

This is our year. 

Let's not lose it.

Matthew Forbes lives in Roanoke Virginia and is an active Member of the Occupy Roanoke General Assembly and Internet Working Group.