After finishing work and being late for the start of Occupy in my town, I decided to join in, after some initial hesitation. Usually, I am ambivalent about demonstrations. I find it hard to all join in, behind one (usually rather dogmatic) idea and a bunch of pre-set leaders who will put forward the fenced off idea of what the demo is about. That’s why I took an interest in Occupy. Because there are no leaders and no dogma. Instead, I felt, there was a group of concerned people who wanted change. And I wanted to be a part of it.

I didn’t expect myself to, but I actually spoke up in front of a group. I speeched for 40 people who listened to me and answered me and shared their ideas about the things I said. I thought: I do not know a thing about banks, and I would not know where to start if it was up to me to solve problems that have to do with banks. So, what is the thing that I can do to make a difference today, tomorrow and in the future? I speeched about small change. About doing little things that matter. About how every straw helps to break the camels back, even if that straw of mine concerns organic food and not banks.

I tried to inspire people. To ask them why they were there. I didn’t want to hear what people were against. I wanted people to tell me what they knew to make this world better. What do you stand for, I asked them. And people started sharing, which was great.

I told people about the day that I, poor and hardworking, decided that I would only buy organic eggs from then on. (Eggs are pretty cheap, so organic eggs was this one tiny something I could afford to do to make a stand against wrong types of agriculture.) Just now on my way home, I bought another box of organic eggs and used it to bake a quiche. Tomorrow, after the next Occupy assembly, I will stand in the street and offer bypassers a piece of quiche. I will ask them about the small things they do to make the world a better place. I will try to inspire them to buy more local and more organic products when they are in the opportunity to do so. My motto is “changing the world is a piece of cake”.

The idea I took home from Occupy today is: When feeling powerless, facing The System, attack it by doing as many small things that help, every day, to make the world a better place. Inspire people with the knowledge you have, and learn from the things that people tell you.

I am baking a quiche and I am excited. I am Occupy.