The Hippies Were Right.
Hippies advocated nonviolence and love, a popular phrase being “Make love, not war,” for which they were sometimes called “flower children.” Alan Ginsburg originated the term “Flower Power” in a 1965 essay, “How to Make a March/Spectacle”. He thought that if protesters were provided with “masses of flowers’ to hand out, to the police, reporters, spectators, it would turn a protest into street theater, not a scene of fear and anger.
They commonly sought spiritual guidance from sources outside the Judeo-Christian tradition, particularly Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Eastern religions, and sometimes in various combinations, and promoted ed openness and tolerance as alternatives.
Think of that, tolerance as an alternative to what was going on in society. Peace, love, sharing, togetherness, understanding. Are those bad things?
Right on what? Organic foods? Farm-to-table? Chemical-free cleaning and gardening products? Renewable energy? Alternative energy? Protect endangered species and oceans? My people.
Sustainability? Working with nature? Green cotton? Reclaimed wood? Recycling? Humane treatment of animals? Self-development? Alternative health? Medical pot? Natural childbirth? Non-GMO seeds? Save the planet save ourselves? Earth Day? My people. My causes.
Power to the people, social justice, women’s rights, indigenous people, all our history instead of indoctrination, voting rights, civil rights, equal rights. Right on, right on.
And don’t forget the music, the soundtrack of our lives. Even country western, which kept it’s themes, now sounds a lot like Rock. There are rock operas. Rock musicals on Broadway stages.
