Hi old Hippies! I’m a 16 South American girl and I really belief on nature autosustentable way of life, Love, peace, and all that, but… I’m confused about the hippie ideal of society… I strongly belief that Love and peace must be the base of the society, but I don’t understand how this society should look like? And what about sex and free Love? I thing that promiscuity and casual sex is not very romantic… Perhaps I’m too young and dreamer, but I think that It is much better to fall in love with someone really special, I mean, with your truly real love, and then, when you know he is the man that you will love for ever (not necessary marriage), you give yourself to him. And you wait because you want, not because others said it (for ex. your family) Must I be promiscuous to be a real hippie or is it not really important!? I was thinking about medicaments … To make them, it is necessary the dead of millions of animals, but it have saved the life of many people… I think that something that has been built up of the pain and death has not a good karma, but when we see the millions of people saved with the vaccines… I really don’t know what to think of… And the drugs… I was thinking that they restring your freedom, because you get addict… You don’t free your mind, you put external substance into your body that make you feel good for a while, but that is not what you real are… I think that the main thing about drugs is freeing you mind, and the real manner to do it is with meditation and yoga, because is YOU the only one that is in you mind, no external substances… I mean legal and illegal ones… I don’t understand being vegetarian… there was a time that I wanted to be vegetarian, but my parents don’t let me… they said that the plants are alive, and that it is the same killing an animal and killing a plant… I thought about it and it makes sense to me… The hippies are against the institutionalism, aren’t they? So, can I be a real hippie if I go to the university (it is an institution!!!)? I was thinking of studding laws and make a specialty in human rights… so I could understand what is the problem with the actual society and try to fix it… and I could make projects to help people, perhaps be politic and try to find a new way of system that cares about nature, love and peace… But isn’t all that very institutional things?? But I was thinking that the only way of a real change is to do it in the system, not out of it… how can I change China if I’m not in China? And can I be catholic and hippie? It is because Catholicism teach about the same things! Love, peace, fraternity, charity… I don’t understand why people say that the church manipulate our minds… because it is our election what to belief, and the values are the same as the hippie ones… I really don’t get it and I’m worried about it… And about politics… are hippies none politics? Is there something bad to be in a political party? Obviously one that defend nature, equality and all that? I know that these are a lot of questions, but I need to know! Please help me. Peace, Love and Harmony, Javi.
Hola, Javi, y Bienvenido You ask many important questions. I do not have answers for you. I have my own answers to some of these questions, but I think it is important that you work out your own answers. I think it is the essence of being a "true" hippy (or for that matter, an authentic person) is to think deeply about what is really going on and how your actions affect the rest of the world, to seek answers, and then to try to make the world a better place. You say this very well in your post here: [thread=311990]The most important thing is to stay true to your essence.[/thread] (my translation). I like your questions, and I agree with much that you say. Here are some of my opinions about your topics. Accept them or reject them, but seek out your own opinions. Love: I like what you say about love. You should never change your standards or what you value just to fit someone else's expectations. Medications: I think you have to seek the greater good, and the lesser evil. Medical development helps many people, but sometimes costs the lives of animals. If you eat meat or wear fur or leather I do not see how you have any moral basis to complain about this. Even if you are a vegetarian, I think you should be able to use knowledge for good. Vegetarian: I struggle with the morality of being a vegetarian. Animals are certainly higher life forms than plants, and they do not want to die. So it is a better moral position not to eat them. However, you can look in the mirror and see that we are also animals. Some animals eat other animals for nutrition, and our teeth are made to eat meat. It is very hard to be properly nourished without some meat. So my answer (for now) is that I try to eat mostly vegetables, but I do eat some meat. Drugs: It is bad if you become a slave to anything. Many drugs are powerful and it is easy for them to take over your life. In whatever you do (drugs or otherwise) be careful that you do not lose control. Institutions: You define who you are. Many institutions were created to help people, so I think you can be yourself and still exist as part of an institution that does good. Catholicism: I see no problem with staying Catholic if that is where you find the truth. As you said: stay true to your essence. Politics: This can be a force for good or evil. Many hippies think that they do best by being on the outside and protesting. Think about the best way to make a change for the good. You may be able to do more good by being involved with politics from the inside. Maybe my ideas can help you decide what you believe. Enjoy seeking your answers.
Hi Javi, I agree with thor, that you are the one that is responsible for making you own decisions. It appears to me that you have made some very good decisions already. My opinions: Everyone is free to make their own choices, but a person should always remember that it was them that made the choice, and any bad choice is the fault of the person, no one else’s. The hippy ideal of society during the 60s and 70s in my region would have had a world where everyone cared about everyone else, there would be no hunger, no war, no hate, no violence, no oppressive laws, but instead all of the people would join in working to better the environment and life of all living beings. If the hippy ideal had been achieved, the air would now be clean, as would the water and soil and foods. The sex and free love was only heard by me in movies and on television. It is my personal opinion that your view of sex and love are correct and honorable. My hope is that your view will never change. Thirty years from now you may look back at today and then realize how good your view actually is. Anyone that tells you that you must be promiscuous to be a real hippie, they are not a real hippie themselves. Real hippies respect and care for everyone. Respect and caring are part of love, and when a person loves another person, he will use caution to not harm the other person’s future. It is common for a man of honor to want to marry a woman of honor, and so if a woman wants to marry a man of honor, then she should remain honorable herself. You are thinking-through the thoughts very well already, so all I can ask is that you continue caring to make the right choices for yourself. For myself, I do not take drugs, prescription or otherwise. There are many herbs that work as well or better than chemical-based drugs. It is just my personal choice to avoid putting unwanted toxins in my body, and if someone else wants to take drugs, then that is their choice and I will honor that choice because it is their life and they have the right to choose for themselves. Tell your parents that they are good parents. On the meat and vegetable topic, there is a good North American custom of praying to and giving thanks and asking forgiveness to the being that we are about to eat. It would be most favorable if we did not have to kill anything to eat, but we must eat, and Nature dictates that we must kill to live. The Christian way teaches to first give thanks to God for each meal, and Buddhism strives to become harmless to all life. It is the spirit of being as compassionate as the Buddhist, as being as thankful as the Christian, and as considerate as the North American that makes a soul recognize our impact on the environment. Too, the act of sincere thankfulness is psychologically beneficial which also results in better digestion and physical health. The religious teachings have merit beyond merely being rules of behavior. On universities, although I myself was incapable of submitting to the type of authority that was present in the 60 and 70s, today’s society is different, and I strongly recommend that anyone who plans to remain in society should get a college degree. If financially possible, a Ph.D. is now considered minimum. Some good work is currently being done by Ph.D. hippies in disguise. On Catholicism, love comes from the person, not from the membership of a religion. Love is the heart of Catholicism, and without love Catholicism would be an empty path. It is my opinion that if you continue thinking-through your choices as you have done so far, in time you will discover that your religion will be strengthened and bettered by your good choices. I myself am not politically involved. I did try once, but my family got involved at a level that we discovered the corruption that runs through all politics, and we now simply avoid politics. Changing the world will not occur through politics, but only at the personal level. Each individual person must better themselves; making new laws cannot magically make dishonest people honest. I hope some of my opinions might help answer some of your questions. Remember too that love, patience, charity, peace, environment, etc., all can and do exist in some ideologies other than ‘hippy-dom’. First choose love and peace, and then it will not matter if you are classified as a hippy, a Catholic, or a college professor. It is what is inside your own heart that counts.
Thankyou very much for helping me! I really needed to hear your opinions... Thor, you are quite good in spanish! Love, Javi.
in my journey to spiritual enlightenment; i discovered that the way of a hippie is not a 'way' at all.. it does not come with rules, or ways you have to live by. yes, peace and love is part of the hippie lifestyle but in the sense of what you eat, what you wear, slang you use, how long your hair is.. etc etc; is not a set way.. you do your own thing. it's freedom to express yourself.. the carefree nature.. the rejection of materialism.. it's beautiful..
