"We edit our lives..."

To live in a series of moments that make entire sense and displace an irrational mode of living and recognize it as comforting and find self-identification within those moments... This is a moment of self discovery not just for the self but the community in which the self lives. It is one thing to look for self-identification but is altogether different to find it in other people. It is perhaps the difference between living within the mind and identifying with another. And this leads me to an overwhelming question of why this is so infrequent, why artifice and self-construction, a veritable architecture of the personality, takes place within the self before it is presented to other people. 

It is not the human mind that lacks in potential. It is merely the language that we use and the time not spent discovering new words for unspoken thoughts, which renders them captive and subsequently without speech. Consider the social networking website, Facebook, in which ideas are framed in a linear fashion unlike any sort of living patterns we experience. In order to be involved in a more natural process there needs to be more direct interaction, and abstract ideas can only emerge into reality from their imaginary source if they are brought to the surface and some kind of understanding be met. There is no need to be skeptical about the lengths to which we can travel through our imagination so long as we understand how to transfer it into our consciousness and, not only that, but to other peoples' as well. The ideas and aspect of creativity therefore expands into something living and outside of isolation.

So... we edit our lives. Before we begin to live our nervousness about the way we ought to be and whether our ideas will be welcome into the open, we are already restricted by already-established structures. This renders us willing to accept what we may not accept within ourselves, and to create an open and discursive space is perhaps a more natural way to understand ourselves and the people around us.  Everybody is concerned with perception, yet we are mostly in the dark on the matter. Rather than a discreet attempt to appear valuable and significant, let the value be known through experience and that "art of listening", a practice which I become steadily more involved and connected with.

So, look at the university experience it would appear that their is an underlying insecurity and sadness, which for myself, as student for some time, demands that overwhelming question to be answered; that broad and expansive question of what a community ought to be and why it does not appear in our daily lives.

As a social experiment, consider the occupation of a university and the needs that may need to be met over that time. As students will reside within that selfsame environment for some time without being able to leave a support system needs to emerge; parties who take upon themselves the act of simply staying and taking responsibility for the protest, the sourcing of commodities such as food and bedding, the maintenance of lectures, regular meetings and other events (sometimes ceilidhs, theater, comedy and varying performances), and the abundance of libraries, leaflets, musical instruments and good will. This occurs in a small space of time and, though this requires a great deal of dialogue and co-operation it seems that the human tendency is to develop support for one another, and a general interest in each others' well-being. This personal involvement and sense of connection serves a purpose in a protest; to hold together solidarity and a sense of overall well-being, all in order to demonstrate the general consensus that certain behavior (take, for instance, pension cuts which are a real threat to the future of our community), is encouraging.

This is perhaps the turn that university may take; in opposition to increasingly alienating behavior from management and the government. The more ground that an increasingly more conscientious group of people feel that they lose, the less they feel the need to remain there under the same incomprehensible conditions. This sense of alienation which Adam Smith himself identifies with as a real threat to human communities in his theory of capital is not a negative aspect of this process; it is more conducive to the need to make visible changes. These examples found in the occupation of universities across Europe and across America , positive in aspect, are positive indications of an increasing sense of mutual conscience and the need to find growth not through austerity measures but through direct action and grass-roots development.

So, what are the positive aspects of a university occupation? They vary, but tend to reveal a sense of something that is missing in the regular university environment.

A university occupation is a learning experience of its own in which the individual can suspend usual anxieties about the self and learn more than might be found otherwise. It is a small-scale community of learning in which is noticeable the great variations and differences in patterns of learning which, because of the free environment, is more friendly to a natural, open forum of learning. One voice is more colorful, and describes and explosion of ideas of many levels; this small, contained environment focusing more on depth of feeling than in a less informal environment. 

Another notable quality is that this environment is a place in which to understand responsibility, to "be compassionate, care, love, in the real sense of the word" and the resultant support network assures each others' safety and comfort. It appears intimidating to begin with because of its unknown nature, but this isolation fades after other similar minds begin to express themselves, and the newcomer finds a welcome environment. 

A quote may serve to illustrate:

"“What does it mean to be yourself?” he asked. “If it means to do what you think you ought to do, then you’re doing that already. If it means to act like you’re exempt from society’s influence, that’s the worst advice in the world; you would probably stop bathing and wearing clothes. The advice to ‘be yourself’ is obviously nonsense. But our brains accept this tripe as wisdom because it is more comfortable to believe we have a strategy for life than to believe we have no idea how to behave.”"

-Scott Adams,"God's Debris: A Thought Experiment"

It seems that the ideal way to learn about oneself is to learn from other people; spend moments with other people. Imbued in mutual recognition, the idea of support emerges and self-identification and mutual value emerge as a result of identifying ourselves with new and differing points of view. This sharing of ideas and experiences and the place to do it is essential to a wholesome and natural learning environment. 

The limited structure and narrow guidelines set forth in a university environment limits the personal aspect of university learning, and more or less breaks the universal nature of it. The question of whether people work better in groups or as individuals is not always available to be answered and it seems that the pattern of consensus building is not always observed or put into practice.

A generational issue also emerges in this situation; an interactive generation wishing for mutual recognition, and a need to share ideas is not being given the opportunity to develop certain realities within their university experience. Difference is shied from in this narrow environment and the possession of or, at the very least, relationship of student with university is not always creative. In several days of occupation, a small group of university students might be able to host several weeks' worth of making connections, raising awareness and sharing skills than otherwise. So, this rolls us towards that question which is so very familiar by this point.

This uniqueness of a space rests upon its ability to change and respond to the needs of the people who use it, and the question of why an occupation may be considered a special occasion and the university not is an interesting question indeed. Expectations during this time of what a university ought to be do not seem to have been met, and this may be because of the common cause and the mutual support. A sense of comfort and a distancing from strict structure seems to highlight certain issues, and the situation seems to offer students the opportunity to express and develop their ideas, comparing the nature of one another's study. This, of course, indicates the need for lecturers to have the time and for universities not to be jettisoning it. The moral and social responsibility of this environment is higher than ever it was, and the way a university occupation functions is to demonstrate as many aspects of the ability to use skills and social abilities to defend a mutual cause and to support their temporary communities which have the potential to be more interlinked than they are at this moment.

And how does this connect with the picture of a democratic culture? The nature of this occupation in particular is an expression of a consensual voice which allows for the expression of ideas without fear of being imposed upon or threatened. The alternative structure highlights the possibilities for structural change and a more impassioned student involvement. A push away from rhetoric and limitations pushes out creativity and serves to transform a place of learning into a home of a sort.

Cultivation of community in a university (and elsewhere; and you can apply this in many areas other than the one under discussion) is a very important cultural issue here and elsewhere. The limitation of being in societies and the degree of specialization can be overwhelming and at times the exchange of ideas is more attractive than creating such distance between individuals. The question of how to meet people and where to exchange ideas is interesting, and it is not quite natural to designate a non-natural environment. Perhaps it is better not to designate anything at all, but free agency and less restriction would potentially create some new and creative consequences.

As for the surrounding community, - and I will take the reader back to the occupation itself here- it is very receptive and, if not, a pragmatic attitude and a sense of understanding appears to soften any harsh feelings towards the principles behind the occupation. It dissolves a misunderstanding of purpose and puts something better in its place. Demonstration of a sense of value and long-term interest is really what this particular occupation is concerned with, and although certain demands are required to be met, the process of making them bear fruit is just as valuable as the goal itself. 

On a more formal level, the undermining of the sense of university as a business through direct action is a meaningful and purposeful action. It is a challenge to preconceived notions of what sort of place university should have in people's lives. The notion of education as a right and cultural hegemony and entwined with the alleviation of inequality and the progress and real growth of society. In creating a microcosm in a which a space of discourse can emerge, these issues can be met and it is one of the most positive conditions of this occupation.

The idea of garnering media coverage and expression of a well-worn idea is a good motivation for an occupation and it is a good way of being able to expressive a real democratic environment. The occupation was not originally for that purpose; rather, it sought to have certain demands met which were and still are in the interests of better welfare and a sense of fairness and equality. Rather than feel that it is an environment with which there is no further direction to go, the possibilities for the use of the space continue to emerge and surprise even the people who are organizing the event. Performance, skill-sharing, learning through others and sharing of more down-to-earth responsibilities make this environment a source of great energy and the romantic feeling which has developed from a sense of alienation and misunderstanding has been well-felt.

It is difficult to make the claim that university occupations don't work simply because certain demands have not worked, because in truth it has become the indirect cause of friendship, a more pronounced sense of community, and has certainly become a place in which people feel comfortable to be at their leisure. It is with ease that I make the suggestion that these developments are taken note of, and that there is indeed a great source of energy in us.

I will conclude in another's words:

“Or, rather, let us be more simple and less vain.” 

- Jean-Jacques Rousseau