in my life, it has always been a question of trying to balance my world view while still having a foot firmly planted in the world of the 9 to 5 grind,and all that comes with it. now im 46,ive worked hard all my life, i can make a living in babylon. i never bought the whole package tho,, never got on the bus, said f everything, gave up all possesions,{i like my possesions.. i worked hard for them}and live as the wind blows. so i guess my question is are the 2 worlds exclusive in the long run? i would really like to hear from ones that have walked this path before. peace
Greetings deded - Welcome to the Forum. I'd like to know too. I am a 62 year old former (in my heart) hippie. I like to think I lived the life style and felt the energy and love. The reality is though, most of us get sucked into the world and "reality". The need for things - air conditioning, car, house, 2 cats in the yard. I saw a show on A&E in which they profiled two old hippies - they literally lived in a Tee-pee and slept on the ground. Now he works for the post office and is divorced. Life goes on. Can we reach out and grab the gossamer threads of years ago and again live that kind of life. A life where you have nothing because you want nothing - just to live is enough. I personally would like to know also.
hi,thanx for the reply.lol, so who wrote poverty into the hippy bylaws?? was it janis with bobby mcgee? or the fear and prejudices of the time? ive spent my whole life with a ponytail and a monkey suit, conforming when i must. is frustrating, im assuming that im not the only 1, but how to pull it together and not just be an island unto myself. i wrote a tune many moons ago,, when i realized that there should be more of us it was called where have my brothers gone, do you think it really is just about the sellout? the path of least resistance? are we waiting for a trigger that may never show? to quote" hearts of summer held in trust, so tender young and green, left on shelves collecting dust,, not knowing what they mean" meh,, starting to babble already peace
I'm a young hippie, and I hope one day I find myself in a situation where I am financially secure (I don't need a lot..i'm not materialistic in the least. a roof over my head and a little money to play with is all i need) and still able to do what I love. I want to make my living from artistic endevours. I definitely do not want to be stuck in the 9-5 grind the rest of my life. i want to reach out and grab every bit of life that i possibly can....is this a naive, idealistic goal? Will I find myself settling one day? i really dont want to settle..i want life to be exactly what i want it to be. Is there anyone that managed to live their life without compromising?
Hi deded - I thought I responded to your question about the link - but I don't see it here. The link opened with no problems. Really a nice, nice acoustic sound. 4 out of 5 stars.
Back in my 20s, I knew that I could hold out in the rat race only until I was 45 then I'd have to pull the plug. Sure enough, at 45, I bailed out. Moved to a more congenial place, an island with quite a few hippies, including some of the original back-to-the-land-ers. Now, I'm self employed, working on becoming self-sufficient. You don't have to go all the way one way or another. You can combine a bit of paid work with some land work, or any other combination you want. If you feel the hip values within you, be true to them.
Very interesting food for thought! I often find myself pondering this as well. I would love to "live the lifestyle" and I do...to some extent. The beliefs, the music, the concept, the food, but I have my son now and I want the best for him. (no living in tepees for us) My husband and I pull in about 25k a yr (not much, but more than I ever thought I would see) but still hold onto the important aspects of the lifestyle. We try to teach our son to value the earth and treat others with the utmost respect. I make most of our clothing, we are artistic (musically, and with crafting things). We try to make something we need rather than buying it. I also work from our home and make my own hours which allows me to be with our son 24/7/365. But, we do live in a very materialistic world and sometimes it aggravates me to no end. It's hard not to get caught up in the rush. That's when you just have to have a shut in day/week to remember where you came from. It's all about compromising where you feel it's necessary and holding true when you feel it's warranted.
love the input ,, thanx hi meliai, im must say, yes,, you will compromise,, how much is up to you.if you can get by with your art,, thats 3/4 of the battle i think, just having the funds to keep it up. i play guitar, could never give 100 percent focus to it while raising a family. bare,, well said,that ever changing line has reared its ugly head many times in my life, i wish i could say ive always been true to my soul, but i try to adapt.which leads me to my current cusp,, bc, wheres this island? lol. all i think i need is a secure place to exist, where my body and minimul possesions are safe,, like,, i have no prob giving my suv up to a community,, as long as it isnt sold for dope,,,gentle people to live, learn and love with, some goal other than how high we can get, been there , done that, only 420 for me. i m the kind that has to work on things, or age catches up with me fast. i imagine tho the only way to find said place is to make said place yourself, who wants to ride?
^love your philosophy! I get so fed up with all the drama that comes from living in a small town...wish we could just escape and make our own little slice of heaven
Yah , often the concept of making a living seems to fly in the face of what and how we Know we want to live. Maybe the contradiction is in society's programs implanted in us all day long over the years - No ? Seems that somehow we as a people must find a Way to Do what Is our in this lifetime and have it take care of a modicum of life that allows us to live without yearning for more in the way of creature comforts &/or possessions. In so far as finding a place that may Be our alternative reality....so many plan to find, or work for, or make it happen ...and it does not serve well to do it in isolation. Finding myself in that near exact situation, being on land that I've long seen as community, yet not willing to accept people who will not Honor their own Being. Not at all religious but living a-part from to stay impeccable in my Intent....links are in signature, but though many might say they are interested in following through - the sad fact is that very few do. As to the 2 worlds being apart....maybe with the variety of skills inherent in groups we can find a Way to join them back together and make them Whole......or at least make it a Work in progress. Sometimes we must follow our hearts and our passions for the life we somehow Know can Be....and love the lessons that help us to Grow it into Being. Enjoy the Becoming y'all.... more Wholeness to you. Blessings Namaste
Here's the thing we all compromise. It's just some peoples line in the sand is different than others. Peace Out, Rev J
Yes, we all compromise. My beautiful daughter is having to compromise too so that one day she can find her 'Lake Isle of Innisfree'. All she wants is to have a piece of land to grow vegetables and keep chickens, but she needs money to buy the land, so she compromises and plays the the game. She's tenacious, she'll get there.
thanx for the replies oldwolf,i actually read through alot of the 1st posts on your pages.farout, is good to see your still going.ive never really given much thought to canada, but it sounds like you have a beautiful area. i think ive come to the conclusion that the best way for me to start is small, a lil more urban .all i can do is walk the walk, and let karma{or quantum physics} take care of the rest.i know this cant happen in vegas, so im gonna head where its happened before. ive tried to balance my heart and my wallet all these years,but the scales have been tipped to the side of the wallet.i will attempt to swing them the other way. but saying isnt doing,and doing today isnt doing tomorrow. i hope im just not being niave, another sucker buying a ticket to a disaster.... 1 step at a time eh? ya,, jumping the line is always tricky,, is when the line becomes a dot that im worried about,, lol
I'm finding this conversation a bit off-base. What exactly is it that you all feel you've "compromised" on? Making a living? Well, good luck with that. Or has the "material world" and the "9 to 5 grind" forced you to compromise on the principles of love and treating people right? Has the oppressive need to feed yourself ground you down so far that you can't be nice to people, or that you can't let grace guide your path? If you don't like your job, then get a different one. If you don't like where you live, then move. But don't lose sight of what really matters.
