Awake my soul

"In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life"

I was listening to this song this afternoon as I was walking through the Cal campus.  There has been a lot happening on the campus recently.  So much so that there have been a regular parade of helicopters that have been hovering over the area for two days straight.  The Occupy movement has hit Cal, and hit it with a vengeance.  For the past several weeks we have been witness to some serious protests and police interactions that have resulted in violence.  Given all the activity occurring across the street I decided to walk down there and see for myself exactly what was going on.

At first glance it may be hard to understand why students would be supporting the Occupy movement that has spread across the world, but they do have a purpose.  The students are making their voices heard in the hope that they can influence politicians and school officials to revise their approach to program cuts and financial aid support.  As the state of California struggles to make ends meet the burden is being passed to the students who, year after year, have had their tuition rates increased and their aid reduced.  The end result is that students are taking on more debt and are forced to shoulder that debt in a weak economy.  I can see why they are frustrated.

 One of the buildings on campus with tents setup outside, the center of Occupy Cal

 Another view of the square, notice the police presence

One of many makeshift pieces of art

The bookstore opposite the admin building

Group of people

Another shot of the tents

As I was walking through the campus I heard the song above by Mumford & Sons, and in particular that line that I quoted at the top struck me.  I was struck by the idea that we all have a set amount of time here and we are inevitable defined by how we spend that time.  For the people that run our financial institutions and continue to benefit off of the backs of the "little people" it is fair that they be judged for how they conduct business in this present economic climate.  I know that it can be a bit unfair to lump everyone together under one category but it seems as if we keep hearing promises and see no results.  I also know that we are in this situation because it is an inevitable result of our capitalistic economy, which invariably separates the rich from the poor.  But how much longer will this go on?  How much longer will the people that can make a difference continue to to ignore the voices of those struggling to live and eat?  When will people invest their time into finding a solution to our problems?  Where you invest your time, you invest you life.  Where do you invest your time?