Some fire from Iceland

Birgitta Jónsdóttir (English)

"...A message from me to everyone protesting today:) Specially my friends in Portugal.

Dear brothers and sisters

I truly wish I could be with you in person, for I miss the protests we used to have in Iceland in the wake of our financial crisis in 2008/2009. I miss the spirit and the sense of unity we all felt together who showed up at the protests. I am with you in spirit and everyone else rising up today. People all over the world are awakening to the fact that our systems are no longer working for us. The systems are self sustainable in defending themselves instead of the people that they should be serving: YOU.

Let us never forget that we are the system, we are the government, and if we want to change it we have to go inside it and create a bridge between the power and the people. I am a poet first, thus I choose to see me either as a poetician or a hacker in Parliament, I went in there in order to understand how to bring more power to the people of Iceland.

It was our brothers and sisters of the revolution in Argentina that started to use pots and pans when revolting against their corrupt president and IMF a few years ago. We were inspired by them. Now you are inspired by us. Let us remember that even the smallest suffering or joy of someone else in our world is indeed ours, for we are one.

The ideologies of the old school of politics, media, monetary systems, corporations , and all known structures are in a state of transformation. They are crumbling. Now is the time for fundamental change on all levels, we have to seize this moment. Because this is THE moment.

It is rare that generations and so many individuals get such an opportunity to transform the world as we know it. The big question is how do we transform it? Lets change the pyramid of power into a circle of power where everyone is valued just as much.

It is obvious that we are running out of planet, many people have lost the vital connection to our environment, most of humanity doesn’t comprehend cause and effect of lack of sustainability anymore and many of us feel lost, displaced and lonely. All the structures we thought would take care of us, be it systems, ideologies, religion, politics or institutions are failing. Big time!

To follow the heart and guts as a poetician makes a lot more sense to me then the rivalry and manipulations of left or right ideology. The right and wrong ideology of the old world has simply outgrown itself. No longer do we have strong parliaments with a direct link between the general public and decision maker. We have so called professional politicians that are far removed from the reality most of us live in.

Parties and politicians are often in an unhealthy marriage with corporations and corruption is thriving in the political arena all over the world. Many governments and politicians talk about transparency yet the process of politics and laws is shredded in secrecy.

We need to change this. We have to know what we want instead of this reality we are confronting.

The 21st century will be the age of us, the common people, where we will understand that in order to live in the reality we dream of, we have to participate and help co-create that reality.

I strongly encourage you to join a movement for change, run for office, be part of this opportunity of change. If I could become an MP in the Icelandic parliament, anyone can become a member of parliament.

Here is our first task: If there is something we have to make sure stays under the guardianship of nations not corporations then it is the following, water companies, energy companies, social welfare, education, the internet and health systems.

We have made everything so complex and grand, perhaps it is time to return to more simple ways, more self sustainable ways, we can do that by learning from each other, by helping each other locally and globally and by remembering that we as individuals can change the world, and now is the time to step forward – take on that challenge and be the change maker. Don’t expect others to do it, your time has arrived to make a difference!"