The Only Hippie In Town

Dear Old Hippy,

First of all I would like to say that it’s really nice of you to share your
wisdom with the younger hippies. With your help, we will gain the knowledge
you guys had in the 60s and take over where you left off.

I was hoping you could help me with a problem I’ve been having. You see, I live in a very
small town and I’m the only hippie. I am very lonely here and don’t have
any friends. There is no one here who shares my beliefs and ideas. They’re
all shallow and have no tolerance for people who are different. I’ve tried
being nice to them but it’s no use. I have been thinking about leaving this
town to find a place where I can be happy but I’m only 16 and even if I did
have a car, I have no where to go. Please give me some advice.

Sounds like a Twilight Zone episode. Remember the one where they do
surgery on this woman because she looks so different from everyone else,
they see her as completely ugly. When they’re finished they remove the
bandages from her face to reveal a ravishing beauty. At this point you
think, oh she’s great looking, they fixed her. Then you see her doctors
and they’re all deformed looking and ugly. The operation is a failure.
She’s still ugly by their standards. The woman is shattered.

Is this what it’s like for you being the only hippie in an intolerant town?
Others have written me with similar situations. You’re 16 now and ready
for a taste of freedom. Rather than running away, perhaps you can plan a
visit to a relative or family friend in another (hopefully larger and more
tolerant) town. Once there you can go out on your own and meet people.
Within a family or town there are often some individuals who are more open
and tolerant than others. Sometimes they’re a little different and try to
appear to conform but inside they are completely different than people
might think. If you know someone like this in your area perhaps you can
confide in them and they can help you meet people who are more your style.

Perhaps you can convince your parents to let you go to a nearby city for
some big event like a concert. Take a friend and once there you can meet
some other people. If you plan on going to college, apply only to larger
ones in more interesting places (see our Hippy Havens for ideas). Perhaps
your parents will let you travel to some of these schools to check them
out. That would be a lot of fun (even if you’re not really interested in
college!).

Don’t give up hope. Soon you will be among your true peers. Oh, by the
way the Twilight Zone episode ends with the doctors introducing an ugly
(really handsome) man to the ugly (really beautiful) woman thus reassuring the
woman that there are others like her. The man tells her she can stay with
them and of course she lives happily ever after. The End …or the
Beginning….

-The Old Hippy

Posted by: skip
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