Photo: Stacy Lanyon
Years before Occupy started, I always had this thought, “Why are we always competing against one another when we can all come together and help one another." There were a lot of things that were wrong with the world, and people would always tell me, “Ashley, you are only a girl who feels this way. You cannot change the world.” I grew up very lonely in that aspect, and I really didn’t understand why no one else thought that way. Years later, in school my professor brought up Occupy. I had seen it briefly on the news here and there, but I didn’t really know too much about it. My classmates had shut the conversation down immediately. That same day, I saw a sign that said, "stop being sheep. occupy wall st." That was a wake up call for me. I looked up Occupy on my own, and all I could think was, “Whoa, I think I need to be there.” I initially went down to Zuccotti to photograph in September, and what I saw were people coming together and helping one another, all different colors, ages and nationalities. It was absolutely beautiful. I was sucked in from that day on, and I never brought my camera back because I much more enjoyed being there and being involved with the people than simply skimming the surface of the movement. I never saw community in the way I saw it there. It is really inspiring when you see people who have no connection to one another, yet they’re willing to help one another out. There's this misconception that we're all a bunch of lazy hippies, but a lot of these people are some of the most intellectual people I have ever met. One of the most inspiring parts of Occupy is the fact that we all understand, accept and respect each others' differences and there is still so much love.
Occupy Wall Street means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. There’s the whole economic and political aspect of the movement which is very important, but I stand for the humanity and environmental aspects. There are a lot of things that I didn’t know prior to Occupy, and I’m constantly learning to this day. It's like a never ending encyclopedia of everything you need to know. People need to wake-up, and I think what Occupy has done more than anything is spread awareness to the people. It's not only occupying just the park but bringing home what you learn in Occupy to your homes, communities, families and bringing it amongst your friends and sharing what you've learned, not just information but how you feel and how you interact with other people. We are learning that not everything you were taught when you were being raised was everything to life, and a lot of people get stuck in that world. When you come out and talk to people and you build relationships with people, it’s a beautiful thing, and that’s what I like the most about Occupy, that we’re building relationships, building connections. We all want a better world, and we’re not going to stop until we have that.
I want to live in a world where we no longer exploit the well-being of the less fortunate, a place where, in the words of Dr. Seuss, "A person is a person no matter how small". I want to live in a world where we care about the things that matter, the animals, the earth, the air, the water, each other. I want to live in a world where we don't have to focus on negativity and greed, where no child will be left hungry. I want to live in a world where I can be myself and express myself, not only express myself, but I want to live in a world where the arts are appreciated. I want to live in a world where people don't see materialistic things as value, where I can marry a man who won't be judged by his nationality, ethnicity or race. I want to live in a world where I can see my children grow and prosper, a world where they can live freely and think freely. I want to return to a world where we were all happy.
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
http://buildingcompassionthroughaction.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stacylanyon
https://instagram.com/stacylanyon/
https://twitter.com/StacyLanyon
http://stacylanyon.com/
Occupy Wall Street means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. There’s the whole economic and political aspect of the movement which is very important, but I stand for the humanity and environmental aspects. There are a lot of things that I didn’t know prior to Occupy, and I’m constantly learning to this day. It's like a never ending encyclopedia of everything you need to know. People need to wake-up, and I think what Occupy has done more than anything is spread awareness to the people. It's not only occupying just the park but bringing home what you learn in Occupy to your homes, communities, families and bringing it amongst your friends and sharing what you've learned, not just information but how you feel and how you interact with other people. We are learning that not everything you were taught when you were being raised was everything to life, and a lot of people get stuck in that world. When you come out and talk to people and you build relationships with people, it’s a beautiful thing, and that’s what I like the most about Occupy, that we’re building relationships, building connections. We all want a better world, and we’re not going to stop until we have that.
I want to live in a world where we no longer exploit the well-being of the less fortunate, a place where, in the words of Dr. Seuss, "A person is a person no matter how small". I want to live in a world where we care about the things that matter, the animals, the earth, the air, the water, each other. I want to live in a world where we don't have to focus on negativity and greed, where no child will be left hungry. I want to live in a world where I can be myself and express myself, not only express myself, but I want to live in a world where the arts are appreciated. I want to live in a world where people don't see materialistic things as value, where I can marry a man who won't be judged by his nationality, ethnicity or race. I want to live in a world where I can see my children grow and prosper, a world where they can live freely and think freely. I want to return to a world where we were all happy.
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
http://buildingcompassionthroughaction.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stacylanyon
https://instagram.com/stacylanyon/
https://twitter.com/StacyLanyon
http://stacylanyon.com/