The 60's - First there were the politically concerned coffee house folk singers of the "Beat Generation" known as Beatniks - then came an even more "anti establishment" fringe element who were called "Fringies" mostly because they wore fringed leather jackets and knee-high leather moccasins ...

There was no middle ground - you were one or the other; you were either HIP or STRAIGHT.  If you were ultra straight, we called you "Plastic" - meaning you were materialistic, superficial, closed off to the hippie movement and its philosophies, goals, ideals.   This was the major line of demarkation where communication was stonewalled.  Hippies wanted to discuss a different way of looking at ourselves & our world.  The pragmatic "Plastic" people of the status quo didn't want to hear it.  It made them fearful to see radical upsets in the values, morals, methods of relating to each other & the world, and the courage to incite changes, to promote choices, to dare people to discover themselves and their own individual reality.  It was difficult to look past the radical clothes, hair, speech, and blatant freedom of expression exhibited by the Hippies, to see the meaningful changes that were taking place.  Our culture as we knew it, was fading away - evolving into something frighteningly NEW and FREE. What price would we pay for such freedom?

True, many critical advances were accomplished; we challenged the government to indeed be "of the people, by the people and for the people" by protesting a controversial war and racism, by demanding our constitutional right to assemble with free speech, and we dared individuals to look into themselves, BE themselves, and EXPRESS themselves, rather than conforming to the opinions & values of others.  We were breaking tradition - forging new ground in personal freedom - and it required major courage, as well as sincere assessment of the status quo and reckoning of our own position relative to what we were always taught; what we had taken for granted as proper behavior, ideals, blind faith in authority, and morality ...

we were hungry for a more personal TRUTH.

But we DID pay a price.  And today we are still paying the price for those years of discovery.  We pushed boundaries to the limit.  In my opinion, some of the harsh consequences of that period of experimentation are:

widespread venereal diseases disrespect for ourselves & others apathy concerning responsibilities reluctance to receive guidance cavalier attitude toward drugs imbalance in the area of intimacy & sex impractical open attitudes toward education, sexual deviance laziness & lethargy

There are other negative legacies of the 60's (and 70's) ... I'll leave it to you to determine the rewards and consequences of the "Freedom" movement.

In the final analysis, these changes were inevitable.  Now, with the tentative state of affairs in today's world, we could use another movement - a group of people of higher consciousness who would endeavor to restore HOPE, LOVE, RESPECT as well as a communal spirit amongst ourselves, where we realize that in order to live in a cohesive world, we must work together.  We must get beyond ourselves and help one another in every way possible so that we can be uplifted and experience the comfort, peace of mind, and optimal functioning that is our birthright as human beings on Planet Earth.  Otherwise we are doomed to live in paranoia, insecurity, futility, poor health and confusion. All our material gains only confirm the need for inner truth. 

An important goal is to rediscover a sense of spirituality, whatever path we may choose, to restore ourselves to a higher level of existence.  The entire world will be uplifted and the events of the day will take on an entirely different significance.  Even our thoughts will become more disciplined and our behavior will be directed toward positive outcomes.

I believe in being PRO-ACTIVE in this way.  Still the conscientious objector, I refuse to lay down and accept the status quo.  I am compelled to do my part to improve the situation around me.  I believe this kind of attitude will reverberate around the world and inspire us to find new behavior mechanisms that will be effective on many levels.  We will achieve balance in our inner being, and fulfillment in our life in general.  We will learn LOVE in all its manifestations .... love for our brothers and love for ourselves.  

May it be so.

 

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