If you live in the United States, you likely have heard of the grass roots protest going on for the past three weeks around the country. It began September 19, created and fueled to protest corporate influence on democracy, address a growing disparity in wealth, and the absence of legal repercussions behind the recent global financial crisis. And now it seems a nation is transformed.

What does this mean? To you, to me, to the world?

Whether or not you agree with the politics behind Occupy Wall Street, this movement comes from an inner force that is inside each one of us. And that is a very very good thing insofar as the unfolding of the world's communication and sense of empowerment is concerned. For in some ways, this movement (and the others it was based upon) marks the beginning of a new way in the world. A way in which people find their voices. A way in which we learn to cooperate. A way that we learn to harness the power of the new media. And a way to create real change.

It is very likely that real change comes of this movement. Not just in the way we interact, but positive social change that affects a great many people. It will likely not look the way that activists might like it to look (handing over 99% of the world's wealth to 99% of its people is a lovely thought but is not likely to be the path we take), but it will be real change nonetheless. It is nearly impossible to galvanize and enchant a nation without that inner force taking hold inside each and every one of us and coloring our future actions. Do we become kinder, gentler people? Do we look at our neighbors differently? What about the homeless man, hands out in supplication, at the street corner? Do we begin to see and feel the humanity inside each and every one of the planet's seven billion human brothers and sisters?

The short answer is Yes.

Yes we are changing how we see one another. Yes we are changing how we treat one another. Yes we are changing how we see ourselves as a species and we act our larger part in the universal tapestry of creation.

Positive influences to expect from Occupy Wall Street:

• Learning new ways of organizing groups of people
• Kindness in supporting the do-ers
• Greater realization that small actions by one person do make a difference
• Greater awareness of social structures
• Increased hope for change

So! Sounds great, right? It does! But be aware too that there are no actions without consequences. Some other consequences from Occupy Wall Street might be these, mostly fueled by newfound awareness of individual status and the (unfounded) fear that there is little one can do on an individual basis to change this:

• Greater levels of anger and dissatisfaction with current living conditions, leading at times to desperate individual actions
• Decreased population
• Uncertainty leading to increased levels of attempts at governmental control

But wait! There's more!

Consequences of these seeming negative consequences will likely be like these:

• Greater numbers of people becoming facile with group facilitation techniques and personal growth modalities, becoming happier and more supportive of others. Win!
• Fewer people overall is a lighter planetary burden, resulting in less pain from famine, disease, and war.
• Increased numbers of people empowering themselves by linking arms in smart activism that can create real change.

Occupy Wall Street is a piece of the overall ever-changing tapestry of human evolution. It acts as a touchstone -- a focal point -- that suggests real and positive change influencing the future of the planet. It appears to be one in a long line of similar events that point to the uprise in individual and group empowerment.