Stand Up.

I've always felt so powerless concerning the issues of systemic poverty.

I felt that I wasn't doing anything to create the issue of poverty, but I also felt that I wasn't doing anything to fix the issue of poverty. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what I could do.

On Brooklyn Bridge, with 700 other people who felt the same way, I had the chance to take a stand against an unjust system. While there are many who dismiss our actions, who laugh off the whole movement, or who twist the truth to highlight a few radicalized members; this has the potential to be a major turning point in our democracy. For the first time my generation is beginning to voice a social consciousness.

For many of us, it took leaving the safety of our parents socio-economic status to see and feel the need. Older adults are now 47 times wealthier than their younger counterparts. For decades they were ten times wealthier. Our generation might be the first to have a lower standard of living than that of our parents since the great depression.

Our decisions matter. The things we say and do have a tremendous effect on those around us. Here are a few simple ways that we can fight the systemic issues that lead to tremendous wealth inequality and speak out for those without a voice.

Live on less. Spend far less money than you do right now. When you get your paycheck put half of it in a savings account (through a credit union, local bank, or other option that feels comfortable to you and benefits your community) and don't touch it. You can live comfortably on half as much as you live on now. At the end of the month, after you have proven to yourself that you can live on less, use a large chunk of that money to pay off debt.

Debt is the enemy. Our national, personal, student, and credit card debt is what keeps us from living freely and doing the things that we want to do. Live on war-time rations and accept the hospitality of strangers until you are free from debt. Drive your vehicles to extinction to avoid new debt on a new car. You could live your entire life without ever making a single vehicle payment.

Shop wisely. Buy locally anything that you can. Encourage local small businesses even if it means spending a few extra dollars (after you are debt free, of course) on a few things. The less processed something is, the more likely it is to benefit the local economy with a fair wage job. Foodstuffs that are made overseas are loaded with enough chemicals to preserve them for shipping and shelf life. Our bodies survive better with fewer of these chemicals.

Tithe+. When we give generously of all that God has provided we make a radical statement. We prove that our allegiance is with the almighty Father and not the almighty dollar. When we give our churches are given the resources to grow and flourish and provide the social programs that address the needs of the people. I've read the rest of the book, and God wins - not the corporations or the empires that allow them to rob from the poor- God wins. When we give of all we have, we Act as though we know the ending of the story. It is a powerful message that our hyper-consumerist culture needs to hear. The Bible addresses the issues of systemic injustice some 2000 times. Try to read more than a page of the Bible without stumbling on something that addresses how God feels about the issue.

Speak out. People will think you are crazy or uninformed if you speak out against the wealth inequality. We are taught that our current system is infallible. Words that describe other economic realities are used as jeers and taunts. Speak out anyway. It is inexcusable for people to go to sleep hungry while others slumber with billions in the bank. We must demand that either they in invest that money to create fair wage jobs for our citizens or they expect that we will arrive with pitchforks to take it ourselves. We are not opposed to money, or even to wealth. We are opposed to those who have cheated, stolen, and tricked their way to the top and then refuse to allow others to climb the ladder fairly.

Pray much. Pray for God to intervene on behalf of the poor; and expect that God may ask you to do the same.

We are one community. Although we are divided along many lines, if one of us goes to bed hungry - we all suffer. When we diminish one child's hunger by claiming that his parents are lazy we diminish our claim to be children of God.

As I head back up to New York City to appear before a court, I have little fear in my heart. The worst punishment they could give me is nothing compared to the poverty that millions of Americans face every day. If some punishment is levied against me for marching and speaking out on their behalf, I will gladly accept it. I believe that the eternal punishment for all those who ignore the cry of the needy will be far greater.

"There is a higher justice.".