Where do I start?

Dear Old Hippy,
Ever since I was small, I have felt extremely attached to life. I was a
really big tomboy so I am not one to get all mushy like some girls but
does no one else get emotional when they are given their factory
processed meat on a styrofoam plate? Does no one else get furious when
they see all those starving babies on the news? Does no one else want to
scream at the rich, What do you need all that for? Give a little, you
selfish bastards? Does no one else see all the mazes of wonderment in a
tiny leaf or a piece of grass? Does no one else cry when it finally hits
them that they are not God and cannot save the world? Am I crazy? I used
to think that the fact that I feel SO MUCH was a gift, like a reminder
that I was put here for a reason and that reason was to change the world
but lately, I think of it as a curse. It is pointless to feel because it
is impossible to accomplish such enormous dreams. I hear people all the
time talk about how the sixties were so great because of the drugs and
music and hugs but it was more than that. It was the fact that you all
DID something about the bad things in life. I mean, you had a bloody war
and a lot of discrimination but at least you stood up. My generation
has even more reasons to band together (the ecology, the economy, a
bastard president, crime, starving children, etc.) but we do not. We
have no desire to- we are apathetic, do not care, are too lazy. How am I
supposed to save a world that will not listen? Where do I start? And am
I alone, just some crazy fool who is arrogant enough to think that she
was chosen out of millions to be given such a mission,someone who is
stupid enough to cry at the beauty of a tree? In your time, you did
something but instead of leading us, the hippies have quieted when we
most need advice from those with experience. Why will they not help us?
Maybe they just realize how futile it all is.
A lonely fool who calls herself Pixie

Dear Pixie,
You appear to be a very sensitive being. You are aware of what is going on around you. You are passionate about doing something to change it. You are a hippy!

Unfortunately, some of us have been co-opted by the establishment and have become part of it. Some of us have realized that it’s all Maya – the illusion, the veil. Beyond Maya is the truth of reality. In which case all you can do is your dharma, live out your life according to your inner rules.

Don’t get caught up in the play to where you feel like your role is scripted for you. You are the actor, the writer, and the director in your own play. Your role is one you choose. You can be the hippy who sets out to change the world. Whether you succeed depends upon how true you are to THE TRUTH. Go with the flow and you will have a much easier time of it. Your dharma will guide you. If these concept appeal to you, or for more information about them, check out Be Here Now or Grist for the Mill, both by Ram Dass. These ideas help you deal with the inner turmoil and make sense of the suffering inherent in the world.

Lest you think we’ve all dropped out or are living in caves in the Himalayas, we old hippies are still around and are eager to lend a hand. Yes, we are dis-“illusioned”. We are aware of the futility of “fighting the system”. But we do support organizations like Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Earth First! and Norml. We help out in our communities in our own ways by recycling, community organizations, volunteering, etc. The key to all of this is ORGANIZATION. The hippies were never really organized. Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman tried to organize the more radical hippies into Yippies and they got thrown in jail. The Weathermen, an extreme organization that bombed banks and corporations blew themselves up and the rest went underground for decades.

Unfortunately, it seems without a major issue to unite us, most hippies would just as soon lay back, turn up the Zep, and light a doobie. But if YOU feel strongly about something and want to get involved, read some of the articles we have posted here under the Activism topic. You can also check out our Activism page, which has links to some of the best activism sites on the net. You can discuss activism in our Hip Forums (see the Protest Forum, the Politics Forum and others.)

Posted by: skip
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