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
