I wasn’t born in the 1960’s, I was born in the 80’s. I am in college, and just am really lost. I feel like I am experiencing what the 1960’s hippies experienced. I am being forced to choose a major and a degree and forced to get a job. To me education should be about learning, and instead I am being herded as a sheep to try and get a high paying job. This isn’t what I want. I don’t want material possessions. My parents are telling me to look for a job, but it just seems so useless sometimes, jobs today pay less than they did 20 years ago, people are working for minimum wage, in menial jobs, when all the CEO’s are making the real money. I would love to maybe be an independent musician along the lines of Fugazi, but colleges don’t have classes in independent business or buisness ethics, its all business classes that are talking about how to make it big and make big bucks how to be a typical sleazebag CEO. In the 1960’s one could drop out and go to Haight or other places, but today their isn’t a thousand or so kids living in the Haight, the hippie scene as it existed back then seems non existent. Their isn’t large numbers of hippies who have dropped out and could provide support. Bascially, I am lost. I am not sure what to do. As I said in the 60’s, if I was feeling this way I would have thousands of kids who were doing to same thing and I could go with them to the Haight, but as I said this doesn’t exist anymore. If I drop out of school, I have no place to go, dropping out of society isn’t really an option for people anymore, because the support of thousands of other people isn’t there I am worried about a draft, I am draft age, I am lost as to what I should do. I am confident I could get CO status, I am an activist, but is it worth it if all your friends are dying and you stay alive. Know what I mean? I don’t know if I could mentally and emotionally deal with thousands even millions of youngsters being carted off to die in iraq in the event of a draft. Should I just flee the country, or should I stay here? Also, I am upset that their isn’t mass uprisings at universities like they had in the 60’s. I have read books that described after Kent State 80 percent of universities had strikes, and in Madison wis, alone their were something like 55 bombs set off at universities. You had a generation of people thinking they could change the world. You had strikes, bombs, in vietnam their were fraggings, you have fringe radical groups like the weathermen and symbionese pop up. I am not saying all of this was good, my point is that during the 60’s people cared about the war, now it seems the uprising and protests are far between. Would it be worth it to stick around during the draft and fight the good fight by protesting, or should I just leave the US? Basically I am sick of everyones complascence including my own, why isn’t their mass uprisings going on? Like I said before, frankly I am lost, I have been listening to music and watching movies from during the Vietnam era to try and gain wisdom, but I haven’t found any answers. Can anyone give me advice about the way I am feeling? What can I do about my dilemmas? What should I do? What do all you current hippies feel about all this? What can you older hippies give in terms of advice to me? It just seems like no matter what path I choose its going to be tough. If I choose to get a job and be the status quo I will be ignoring my beliefs and values. If I leave the US I may miss the protests and uprisings that will occur, if I stay I may be drafted and I may see friends carted off to war. Help me with this please! Z
Well, I'm definatly not an old hippy, and am even younger than you (just finished first year university) but I'll still try to give some advice. Business is not the only field out there. I hate business. But there is science, psychology, arts, music, philosophy p) and many other majors you could choose. Don't go for business, especially if you don't like it! Who knows, one day the capitalist society may fall and CEO's would no longer be needed. Learn to do something that helps society rather than steal from it. It may not pay as much, but at least it's honestly earned money. The US sucks. If I were you, I'd go visit other countries and see if you like it there. If you do, you may consider leaving! It's so hard to leave a country. The reason you're not finding answers may be because there's very little you can do on your own, and there are not many of us who want to make a difference. Once again, you define a job as some business thing, or a minimum wage thing. With an education, you can get an interesting career. If nobody worked, how would the world function? Can't just sit around and smoke weed all day! But then again, you could always drop out of college and join a nomadic commune, whatever floats your boat, really.
same comment as I posted to in your other thread.... Kent State happened in 1970. The protests went on through 1973 starting in the mid sixties. I caught the ass end of the protests at a very young age due to my being hard headed and opinionated at a very early age, having friends that were all at least five years older than me and living about ten miles to DC it was easy to get involved. The Viet Nam protests didn't happen the moment we got involved in that war either. It took awhile. And although I was too young to be on my own in the sixties I can tell you it still took the coin of the realm (money). People usually have to work at something, what you work at is entirely your choice. There's plenty of classes on small business operation/ownership. Theres tons of different kinds of classes for that kinda stuff. Drop out and join the Rainbow or the ones that feed offa that ( Drainbow) Theres always options. Don't be short minded and think theres not alot of the same options out there. __________________
hi there this will pass as the seasons do what ever you choose to do from this point be whole and enjoy and when you feel this again you will know how to deal with it .good luck lovenpeace from saff
I was a teen in the 80's, when the materialisic culture rerose from the 50's (not saying that the hip were non-existent in the 50's, the numbers were just smaller). There was a rise in hippie-type awareness in the 90's(yoga, new age stuff became mainstream; environmental issue got more attention); hippie philosophies are due to circle back around in a few more years... But don't wait, take the summer and go to the National Rainbow Gathering, there's a Rainbow forum here with lots of info and welcomehome.org can give you some Rainbow basics (not saying drop out, just if you don't have a summer session; even making it for the big 'show' Fourth of July, is a way to connect...then again HipForums is the ultimate world connection...)
same here.Im still in school though...my dream..to be an Artist or a wirter...be one of those and work at home its easyer and you can cotribute to hippie socity
While I am also young, I would like to try and help you out. First of all I will start by saying that I agree with what Syntax said. Above anything else, follow your mind and heart. Everything you do is a job technically if you think about it. You want to be an independent musician, then do that if it makes you happy. There are many different things that one can do in this life. Buisness is one opption in life, but it is not the only one. While at school you could try taking different classes. Studying different things could help you figure out what you really enjoy doing. If you figure out what you enjoy doing you could probably find some job out there that you might enjoy doing. A job does not have to be all materalistic. I mean that in the sense that while the outcome of work is money and materal goods, there is a major difference between purchasing goods one does not need and purchasing food to survive. One is only a sheep if they stay with the system and never bother to question what goes on around them. In order to survive in this world, one has to work with the world to some degree. Whether you decide to stay in school or not, make sure that what you do is true to your dreams. If it helps think or list your goals in life, and then think about what you can do to get there.
It is possible to smoke weed all day and still do things. In fact, I like to take 100 mcgs. of LSD and do things. The dominant culture is built so as to make those of your age have little choice but to enter into their system. For those that have the means to live in an alternative counterculture until they gain a proper understanding of the world, I think it would be a wise decision. The dominant culture instills in the youth a fear to do so. Try it, maybe you'll like it. The land issue and rent is a common tool for the establishment to use in keeping people stuck in the cities and working for them. Get out into the country and find a group of people living on the land that think as you do. Don´t worry so much about materialism, career etc..., unless you have some great desire to be a doctor or something... you're young, have fun and do what you like.
Ok, I'm seeing a disturbing trend here. Another one reaching out to the world asking for advice. malcolmx88 (your handle makes me a little nervous, there aren't 87 more of you, right? ) you need to look around you, see what's happening in your own life, reflect on the things most important to you, talk to people close to you, and then make your own decision. Yes it would be nice if we could just type a question about our destiny into our computer and have Jeeves come back with the right answer. But until Bill Gates comes out with his Windows for People Who Can't Think for Themselves Edition that ain't gonna happen. You sound like you know what's going on. You have evidently done a little research and have seen what we did in the past. History is a great teacher, but a lousy prophet. Don't dwell on what's happened before, and don't think you know what's going to happen in the future. And most of all, don't believe anyone else will know what will happen. Just do whatever seems to you to be right now. A few years later, you may see it was the wrong thing to do. Hopefully you won't. But if you listen to other people who don't know the whole story - your story - I guarantee you'll regret it. Be true to yourself, and you'll always have a reason to do so.
life is too short to not laugh and smell the flowers dont waste your days moaning about the bull just grit your teeth and live it
