{"id":255,"date":"2017-02-03T00:02:52","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T00:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hippy.com\/hip\/uncategorized\/the-old-hippies\/"},"modified":"2017-02-03T00:02:52","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T00:02:52","slug":"the-old-hippies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/hippies-from-a-to-z\/the-old-hippies\/","title":{"rendered":"The Old Hippies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Hippies from A to Z
\n<\/b>by Skip Stone<\/span><\/p>\n

The Old Hippies<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

\n

Old hippies don’t die, they just lie low until the laughter stops and their time comes round again. <\/b><\/p>\n

Joseph Gallivan<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Whatever happened to all the old hippies? The millions who rallied,
\nmarched, protested, chanted and boycotted? Are they now just rebels without
\na cause? Or have they turned into apathetic yuppies? We must ask these
\nquestions, because now is the time for them to come forth and accept the
\npowerful role for which they are destined.<\/p>\n

When we were young, our ideals motivated us to challenge the system.
\nWe wanted to change everything, to correct the wrongs, to reveal the hypocrisies,
\nto bring freedom and equality to everyone, everywhere. Now we are older
\nand presumably wiser, but are we still motivated by such high ideals?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.<\/b><\/p>\n

Jim Morrison<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We were the essence of freedom. By rejecting the social program, its
\nvalues, its prejudices and its fears, we discovered something beautiful
\ninside ourselves yearning to be free. We were free to think, to do and
\nto be whatever we wanted. Once we stopped seeking and experiencing this
\nfreedom, an important part of us stopped growing.<\/p>\n

This is what happened to most of the old hippies. As they got older
\nthey married, had kids, got jobs, took on much more responsibility. They
\nbecame part of the system. I wouldn’t describe it as selling out, it’s
\nmore like adjusting priorities. Now it’s up to them to rediscover their
\nlost ideals and use the power they now possess to act according to those
\nonce highly regarded principles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Your children are not YOUR children<\/b><\/p>\n

Kahlil Gibran<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A common problem with the old hippies is that they want to prevent their
\nchildren from making the same mistakes they did in their youth. This is
\nthe instinctual parental prerogative. However, the problem lies in thinking
\nthat one’s youthful activities (considered ‘indiscretions’ in politically
\ncorrect terms) were a mistake! I hear this over and over again. I tell
\nyou one and all: What you did in the 60s was very important! You were Free
\nin a way as you haven’t been since. Whether you smoked a joint, dropped
\nacid, had uninhibited sex, smelled like a buffalo, wore clothes you wouldn’t
\nget caught dead in now, whatever, it was the most perfect thing you could
\ndo!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. <\/b><\/p>\n

Bob Dylan (The Times they are a-changin’)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Decrying your mind-expanding experiences as innocent mistakes, belittles
\nyourself, and does you more harm than good. Then to inflict this attitude
\nupon your children is to commit a great hypocrisy. Politicians in the public
\neye won’t come out and admit their questionable youthful activities and
\nso set a bad example. Why is the common wisdom to lie to your children
\nabout your past? Do you believe that sets a good example? Do you think
\nkids won’t see through your hypocrisy? You will lose your children just
\nas your parents lost you when you did your hippie thing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

I’m frightened for your children, that the life that we are living
\nis in vain. <\/b><\/p>\n

The Moody Blues (The Story in Your Eyes)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Old hippies everywhere, this is a call to arms! You are needed! The
\nchildren of today are our last, best hope to fulfill those beautiful dreams
\nwe had. There are young hippies everywhere asking the same questions we
\ndid. Only they’re not finding the answers! Everywhere they are faced with
\npolitically correct brainwashed propaganda instead of truth! Get over your
\nlingering doubts about the past. It’s our future you need to be concerned
\nabout.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The sage does not hoard.<\/b><\/p>\n

Having bestowed all he has on others, he has yet more;<\/b><\/p>\n

Having given all he has to others, he is richer still.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lao Tzu<\/p>\n

What are YOU doing to make this world a better place? Investing in mutual
\nfunds? Buying that new SUV? Joining a country club? It’s time to GET REAL
\nagain! It’s time to wake up! If you’re not part of the solution, you’re
\npart of the problem!!! Have you forgotten who you are? What you are? Why
\nyou’re here?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

We are here to make a better world.<\/b><\/p>\n

No amount of rationalization or blaming can preempt the moment of
\nchoice each of us brings to our situation here on this planet. The lesson
\nof the ’60s is that people who cared enough to do right could change history.<\/b><\/p>\n

We didn’t end racism but we ended legal segregation.<\/b><\/p>\n

We ended the idea that you could send half-a-million soldiers around
\nthe<\/b><\/p>\n

world to fight a war that people do not support.<\/b><\/p>\n

We ended the idea that women are second-class citizens.<\/b><\/p>\n

We made the environment an issue that couldn’t be avoided. The big
\nbattles that we won cannot be reversed. We were young, self-righteous,
\nreckless, hypocritical, brave, silly, headstrong and scared half to death.<\/b><\/p>\n

And we were right.<\/b><\/p>\n

Abbie Hoffman<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Want to remember that feeling you had before, when you felt you could
\nchange the world? Maybe it’s time for you to reassess your life, your goals,
\nyour programming. What really matters? Not just to you and yours, but to
\nus and ours. Your responsibility doesn’t end with your family. That’s the
\ncop-out that transformed the hippies into yuppies. It’s taken quite a bit
\nof maturity for these yuppies, especially the very successful ones to realize
\nthat success is hollow if you haven’t really done something for the common
\ngood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, <\/b><\/p>\n

and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.<\/b><\/p>\n

Jim Morrison<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Cue Hippy Commercial: Are you tied down by job, kids, mortgage, and
\ncredit card debt? Remember when you were FREE? What did that freedom taste
\nlike? Do you think you’ll ever experience it again in your lifetime? Will
\nyour children ever get a chance to be free like you once were? Or have
\nthey already sacrificed their souls to please you by accepting the values
\nof this materialistic society?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

We can change the world, rearrange the world. It’s dying – if you
\nbelieve in justice. It’s dying – if you believe in freedom. It’s dying
\n– let a man live his own life. It’s dying – rules and regulations, who
\nneeds them! Open up the door.<\/b><\/p>\n

Crosby, Stills & Nash (Chicago)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It’s way too easy to sit back in our comfortable homes, build our little
\nnest eggs and pretend that those scenes of violence, hunger, war, and ethnic
\ncleansing on CNN have nothing to do with us. You think we were na\u00efve
\nwhen we thought we could change the world. Well guess what? WE DID! You
\ncan point to the wonders of modern technology (we created them) and think
\nthat it will solve our problems. Sorry, but that’s being na\u00efve! Look
\nat what’s being done to solve these problems and think: What more can be
\ndone? What hasn’t been tried? What can I do?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Feed them on your dreams. <\/b><\/p>\n

CS&N (Teach Your Children)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Travel to foreign lands and see what industrialization is doing to them.
\nJust so we can have cheap goods from plastic toys to computers, other countries
\nare
\nhaving to turn their agrarian societies into industrial wastelands, where
\nthere are no pollution controls, and the air, land and water is poisoned.
\nWhere once there were fields of rice, now there are skyscrapers in choking
\nhaze.<\/p>\n

Look around and see how things have changed since you were a kid. You
\nthink our emphasis on materialism, conformity and success is healthy? For
\nyou, your kids or the planet as a whole?<\/p>\n

Have you noticed the anger seething below the surface of many young
\npeople today? The violence, the intolerance, the invasions of privacy and
\nthe repressive conformity they face everyday? Is it really surprising that
\nthis anger suddenly bursts forth with deadly results? Violence, it seems,
\nis the only way nowadays to express outrage at the system that succeeds
\nin getting attention. Once upon a time, we had peaceful ways of venting
\nour frustrations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. <\/b><\/p>\n

Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther (Soul on Ice)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Why wait until these problems appear on your doorstep, or perhaps your
\nchild’s school? Our hypocrisy and apathy will come back to haunt us. You
\nCAN still make a difference. Get involved. Readjust your priorities. Spend
\ntime with your kids. Be honest with them! Please! That’s all they ask.
\nShare your youthful experiences, your lost ideals, your beautiful dreams
\nfor them and the world. Listen and learn!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

That’s what real love amounts to- letting a person be what he really
\nis. Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love,
\nyou keep pretending- performing. You get to love your pretense. It’s true,
\nwe’re locked in an image, an act- and the sad thing is, people get so used
\nto their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains.
\nThey forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them,
\nthey hate you for it, they feel like you’re trying to steal their most
\nprecious possession.<\/b><\/p>\n

Jim Morrison<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tell them about hippies. Hippies were real! We didn’t pretend and put
\non airs. We didn’t fake anything. We weren’t selfish. We shared what little
\nwe have. We were honest about our feelings and acted accordingly. Yes,
\nwe were young, na\u00efve, but somehow wiser than generations before or
\nafter. We were concerned about the important things that now seem forgotten.
\nIn our subsequent striving for success we have trampled upon those values
\nwe once cherished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.<\/b><\/p>\n

The Who (Won’t Get Fooled Again)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What hasn’t changed is the power structure that caters to the rich and
\npowerful. The government, industry, international trade, laws, and political
\nsystem are all biased towards those with influence. Money buys influence
\nand put those without it at a great disadvantage, and thus nothing has
\nchanged.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the
\ngovernment, <\/b><\/p>\n

is to live under the government of worse men.<\/b><\/p>\n

Plato<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is what the Antiwar, Civil Rights, Black Power, Environmental and
\nWomen’s and Gay Liberation movements were about. Getting our due portion
\nof power and influence. Those who are oppressed, discriminated against,
\ndisadvantaged all need a way to influence society to their benefit. Those
\nelements of our world that can’t buy influence need aware individuals to
\nrepresent their interests. These elements include the poor, the sick, children,
\nanimals, ecosystems, and natural resources.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

It’s a fool who plays it cool by making this world a little colder. <\/b><\/p>\n

Beatles (Hey Jude)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ideals are nice to visit once in awhile. Don’t be afraid. The only thing
\nthat will change is you, for the better. If you know something’s not right,
\nwhy don’t you try to fix it? Just give it the attention it deserves and
\nyou’ll have an influence.<\/p>\n

So old hippies, ex-hippies, and those who regret never getting involved,
\nwhat are you going to do with the rest of your lives? What legacy are you
\ngoing to leave your children?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.<\/b><\/p>\n

Mahatma Ghandi<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We need to find our voice again. Once more we must point out the system’s
\nhypocrisies and lies and say enough is enough. We must not let them rule
\nus with fear. We must stand together. United we stand, divided we fall
\nvictim to the system. That’s how it’s been for over 30 years now. How many
\nmore years will it take, before we’re allowed to be free? The answer, my
\nfriend lies with you and me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE BALLAD OF ITE<\/center>by Tibby DeauxThe Man schemed and planned to rid this land<\/p>\n

of the hippies he wanted to smite.<\/p>\n

He holstered his gun, ’cause he thought he’d won,<\/p>\n

when the hippies just dropped out of sight.<\/p>\n

Thus, began a brand-new plan:<\/p>\n

He’d give the country to the right.<\/p>\n

With some help from God and a big heavy rod<\/p>\n

he’d make sure we all saw the light.<\/p>\n

Get it in your head: The hippies are dead!<\/p>\n

That’s what he told us to make us contrite.<\/p>\n

He told us to be wise and learn from their demise;<\/p>\n

that nobody can standup to his might.<\/p>\n

The Man continued to thrive, spouting his jive,<\/p>\n

as his people just trembled with fright.<\/p>\n

With the hippies no more<\/p>\n

and no one minding the store,<\/p>\n

his strangle-hold grew ever so tight.<\/p>\n

He said,<\/p>\n

Don’t act too tough. I’ll take all your stuff,<\/p>\n

if you even think about putting up a fight!<\/p>\n

I’m meaner than mean and I’m running this scene.<\/p>\n

I’m your pilot and this is MY flight!<\/p>\n

So, we flew and we flew and nobody knew<\/p>\n

how deep we would fly into the night.<\/p>\n

Then, we went online in 1999;<\/p>\n

that’s when the hippies learned how to byte.<\/p>\n

The Net became a tool for reaching the cool:<\/p>\n

Their spirits we hoped to excite.<\/p>\n

It was a sight to behold,<\/p>\n

when the young joined the old,<\/p>\n

and the hippies decided to unite.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 1999 by Tibby Deaux*. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Posted by: skip
\nViews: 25859
\nTopic:3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hippies from A to Z by Skip Stone The Old Hippies Old hippies don’t die, they just lie low until the laughter stops and their time comes round again. Joseph Gallivan Whatever happened to all the old hippies? The millions who rallied, marched, protested, chanted and boycotted? Are they now just rebels without a cause? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hippies-from-a-to-z"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hipplanet.com\/hip\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}