Robert Thurman addresses Occupy Wall Street at Zuccotti Park on Cool Revolution and the Age of Wisdom, analyzing the problems that fuel the frustration underlying the occupation and encouraging compassion for the banker-robbers who also need liberation from a system that makes them desperately unhappy.
How nonviolence – cool revolution – is key, and how meditation on compassion can help bring this about.
Bob explores Bhutan’s concept of Gross National Happiness vs GDP around 34:09 and points out (around 53:45) that capitalism is not the problem. That in fact, true capitalism traces back to European monasteries where monks and nuns made beautiful paintings, champagne, crops, beer and manuscripts exemplifying work as a spiritual practice.
Amplification is not allowed in the park, so his words are repeated by everyone, forming a “human microphone,” and listeners make “twinkles” with their hands to signal they agree with the speaker.
Thank you Erric Solomon for recording and sharing this at What Meditation Really Is.