Embercombe Visits Occupy London Stock Exchange

After spending several weeks here at Embercombe, enjoying the clean air, the healthy food, the atmosphere of community, an opportunity arose to visit the city I had recently left – London. During several of Embercombe’s ‘morning check-ins,’ a space where the people who live and work at Embercombe meet each morning and discuss their thoughts and feelings, the Occupy movement was discussed as a source of both inspiration and concern. The concern lies with the increasing exploitation and degradation of the earth’s resources, but also with the increasing disparity between those elite few who hold the financial and political power and those who are now most poignantly suffering the consequences of the current system’s greed and corruption. Several people conveyed frustration at the violence and power-hungry actions which involve war, weapons, and the destruction of seemingly disposable life. The Occupy movement was discussed as a source of inspiration in the sense that masses of people around the globe are standing together, turning a falsely neutral public space into a communal, democratic one and saying something is very wrong and something needs to change. Many people now know this current economic system is spiralling out of control and serves the interests of only a few. It is a world that does not offer a positive standard of living for us or for future generations.

As a result of the evident interest that was generated by the people at Embercombe’s morning check-in, we decided to try to help in whatever small way we could. Those who are residing at the Occupy camp were and are in need of food, warm bedding, and art materials, amongst other things. Embercombe had a surplus of duvets, apples, potatoes, and a beautiful handmade wooden table. We decided we should move beyond simply discussing the possibility of helping in whatever small way we could and to set a date and gather the necessary funds to make the trip to London possible. We aimed to visit the people at Occupy LSX, to give them what material help we could, and to find out exactly what it is they are doing there. The staff in Embercombe’s kitchen also prepared a hearty vegetable soup for the protesters. A lot of people at Embercombe volunteered to participate in the journey to London, and I felt privileged to be one of the few who could fit in the Embercombe minibus amongst the duvets, desk and food!

We are quite spoilt at Embercombe. Being in a self-sufficient rural area, we enjoy ample greenery, peace, organic food fresh from the land, and a sense of mindfulness and community. It is easy to immerse yourself fully and to disconnect from the turbulence, chaos, and alienation that seems to plague the news, and indeed everyday life. The journey to London certainly made this clear. In comparison, the grimness of the motorway, the soulless yet prolific advertisements in service stations, the bland sameness of big chains all seem dry and somehow unreal. We commented on how these things have become normal part of life, almost unnoticed, but not quite. As Owen, our ‘driver’ pointed out, if you put a frog in boiling hot water, it will jump out immediately. If you put a frog in cold water and heat it up slowly, the frog will only realise its slow death when it is too late to jump out. This is how it felt to view ‘normality’ from the viewpoint of someone who has had the benefit of spending time in a place of health and awareness. Without the constant bludgeoning of sirens, aggressive media, electrical overwhelming, supermarket drone, and noxious food, your body and mind become more attuned to what is does and consumes. The frog stands outside of the water whilst the pan heats up. Everyday life has become so unthinking, so unaware of the effects of the slowly boiling water as KFC and their counterparts paint abundant advertising boards with their notorious slogans. Occupy is reaching out to people, attempting to be heard and to educate before the water gets too hot.

As we approached London the city fumes became stronger along with the congestion as we crawled along beneath Heathrow’s final stretch of flight path. Here I saw the most memorable advertisement. Along with the numerous ugly industrial buildings was a brewery. Their advert, in huge letters, speaking to all the tired, agitated motorists read: ‘When in London’… then a picture of a man drinking a pint of beer. ‘Yes’, I thought, ‘when in London, drink! It is a possible escape from the madness.’ I couldn’t help feeling slightly smug that I no longer live in such a place!

Once we had made it through the traffic and had a small respite on the Volharding ship, our charismatic evening abode on the Thames, we drove the laden minibus as near to St. Paul’s as possible. Parked in the heavily-secured, double-yellow-lined financial district, we grabbed a few optimistic and willing people from the Occupy camp to help swiftly unload our ‘goods.’ It was a fast operation, and soon twenty duvets, a large wooden table, sacks of apples and potatoes, and a bag of hats and art materials quickly blended in with the crowd at the camp and I was left standing with a bucket of soup! I wandered through the various tents and found the camp kitchen, where the soup was happily received.

Like Embercombe, there is a sense of community at the camp; volunteers work in the kitchen, the library, and the information tent. The camp kitchen feeds those residing on the camp, and provides food to anyone who goes there. Alcohol is not welcome on the camp and recycling bins are used to dispose of the rubbish. Nearby there is a meditation tent with blankets and a soothing candle, which offers a comforting place amidst the traffic, the bells of St. Paul’s, and cold, frayed nerves. Also, of course, there is the university tent, where people from various walks of life, including university lecturers, give free talks to anyone who wishes to go along and listen. Occupy LSX points to the increasing commodification of university education and promotes a free learning space. The audience is encouraged to participate and ask questions at the end of each lecture, to be critical, to think. Interestingly, the university tent sits inside the library tent. At a time when austerity measures see the closure of libraries, the Occupy movement gathers and shares books with the public. Embercombe’s hand-made wooden table was placed in this space, much to my pleasure. I would quite like to see a beautiful library yurt erected, as they have done in Occupy Toronto. The library ought to be made as comfortable as the meditation tent, and the yurt looks cosy.

Finally, we attended the General Assembly. Sitting on the steps of St. Paul’s, there was a sense of safety, of all being together. Unlike an ordinary day in London, people talked to each other. The topic of the evening was how to deal with the Corporation, who were threatening to evict the Occupy movement under the Highway Code. Occupy LSX had to decide on whether to comply with the Corporation’s request to leave the site by the 31st December and sign a list of ‘lawful’ declarations, or to stand their ground and risk Court costs and earlier eviction. After a long debate in a state of early, raw democracy in which people were invited to offer their contributions and clarifications, Occupy LSX decided not to act in accordance with the Corporation’s desires, and provided a few requests of their own.

At the end of a busy, informative day, the Embercombe crew walked along the chaotic, busy roads and retired to the quieter haven of Volharding. It was a night of the full moon, and the Thames gently rocked the boat as we drank herbal tea and discussed the possible future of such a city – one which relies so heavily on capital and imported food in an age of uncertain economy. Owen even joked that Embercombe may one day be surrounded by Zombie gates!!