There's More to Life Than Being Happy

[bvar22]

21. "they later sold out, literally. "

Who were "The Hippies"?
Do you know?

The Hippies were relatively small in number, but had a huge impact on America.
So much of an impact that even today, 40 years later, some people are still angrily accusing them of "selling out".

There were several distinct movements during that time.
The biggest was the Anti-WAR movement.
They borrowed a lot of the music and symbols of the Hippies,
and the Hippies sheltered many of the Draft Dodgers.
While "The Hippies" were Anti-WAR, not everybody who was Anti-WAR was a Hippie.
The Vietnam War ended in 73, and the antiwar movement went home to the suburbs.

Madison Avenue and and other Commercial Predators "borrowed" a lot of the symbols associated with The Hippies, and wrung every penny out of it they could by selling that junk to gullible Americans, but it wasn't The Hippies that did that.
The Hippies were laughing at anyone that was foolish enough to buy that crap
and believe that by putting on some "Love Beads" they would magically become a "Hippie".

Then there were The Slackers & Stoners (non-contributors just like today) who hung around The Hippies for the dope, but were not really Hippies.
They all went to jail or to rehab.

We're getting old now, and many are gone,
but The Hippies are still with us, all across America.
We all know each other,
and even have a secret handshake and use a secret eye blink code to communicate with each other. We've moved beyond the banality of mere words.
We simply KNOW.
Sometimes, a stranger passing through will Look Up in a rare moment of clarity and say,"Hey, you guys are old Hippies, aren't you."
And we will just smile the "secret" smile of non acknowledgement.

If you would like to find some Hippies, go to the farmers markets, or Craft Fairs,
or small town Arts & Craft Shops. Old Hippies will be running those.
The most creative artists you find there will be Old Hippies.
That is how we pay our taxes and keep our land.

Try it out.
Go to a craft fair, find a relaxed vendor that looks over 60,
sitting in a back corner, quietly working on his/her next piece.
Pretend to be looking at something on the table,
then look up and say, "Hey, You're and old Hippie, aren't you."
THEN, you will get to see the Secret Smile.



---bvar22 & Starkraven
Living Well on a low Taxable Income,
and stuff we learned in the 60s!