Hippie Generation Y... Because We Gotta

I wish I knew more about history. I pick up the pieces, hearsay, and cliches of times past and make conclusions from them, but it's truly hard to know whether my deductions have any credibility without first learning from those who know the things that I guess.

Growing up watching The Wonder Years, That 70's Show, and Forest Gump, along with a little information from hippie friends (and I guess school taught me a bit too), I now have a "Steve Version" of the 60's and 70's in my head. So please do note that this blog post will be drawn almost entire (maybe entirely) from the distortion and havoc that resides between my ears.

If I were to pull key aspects out of the hippie movement to characterize it, I would choose: countercultural love and freedom (including drugs and sexuality), anti-war declarations, movement towards a simple life (less monetary/corporate things, environmentalism, more natural eating, and communal living styles), and political action in a wide spectrum of age groups. All of this was largely stemmed from the love/freedom category. These hippies were enlightened.

It's funny how this "enlightened" group is now almost universally acknowledged with humor or disdain. It was a strong force, and its then followers are still alive. You can find a few who hold to the ideals of this time, you find more who hold to the music; but most have forsaken what they were (quite possibly because they can't even remember those years). But you can't deny that this counter-cultural movement was swallowed whole by the commercialism of the 80's. Madonna was a Material Girl, and she wasn't the only one. Perhaps it was all the babies that came from the "free love" that jostled the hippies into the realization that they needed to actually work to provide for these kids, maybe something else. Maybe it's just man's quest for success; where when a movement doesn't succeed, its followers change sides and become the best sellouts they can. Either way hippie-ism is 99% gone... kind of.

When you look at the United States in relation to views on war, diet, environmentalism, sexuality, and political activism, things are starting to look a bit like they did back in the day (but at the same time completely different). Americans are feeling an opposition to war (at least our current war choices), sects are moving to a more natural, organic diet, there are tons of agencies and people who are concerned about the environment and CO2 emissions, sexual tolerance is being increasingly nodded at in regards to homosexuality, women's clothing is shrinking by the moment, giving anybody passing on the street an aspect of "free love" that comes in the form of a free peek, and sections of our country's young adult population are becoming very passionate about their rights, freedoms, and opinions in the political arena.

The reason this is only "kind of" hippie-esque is that they don't share the same root. In the 60's a desire for love, freedom, and self-enlightenment of what matters (among other things) motivated followers to attempt to recreate their world. It was out of want for freedom and a conviction to the morals they believed in, and I think it was largely optimistic. Today our actions are based primarily on one thing. Fear. We oppose the war because we are afraid of our country's financial state, we can't afford to be in this war that is not ending. We eat organic because we are afraid of the disease that has begun to exterminate all of our loved ones. We take strides toward clean energy and lowering emissions because we fear human annihilation if we don't reverse the global warming trend. Homosexuals are getting married because we're afraid denying them their lusts will mean we have to eliminate ours; after all we wouldn't want to be hypocrites. Politics are taking over our lives because we're afraid of the influence the government has over our personal liberties or our ability to financially survive and the media is shoving this fear down our throats constantly (though some are more hopeful than fearful).

I was thinking about this a good bit yesterday and had a conversation with my friend Bill, who lived during this era and is a great thinker to boot. Then, today, I hear Stephen Colbert, being interviewed on NPR (yes I listen to NPR), making some statements correlating this comparison of 1960's hippies to today as... similar but extremely different. Then I saw just a few hours ago his show from yesterday.

I am truly gaining a deeper respect for Stephen Colbert. He plays a character on his show, but he and his writers really do expose some insightful things in their mockeries.

We can be anti-war and be accepted, but we can't be about peace or else we're crazy hippies.

I don't think the hippies were all wrong in what they believed in, but I do think they were wrong. They upheld moral convictions that are important, but also held up other moral convictions that are ridiculous and dangerous. Their extreme drug use did not aid them in their cause for being taken seriously either. The "ridiculous" of hippieosity has painted over any good they brought. But let me also state that the good they brought can be found more fully and credibly in Christianity.

So why aren't we the new hippies? Some of us are living out hippie causes, but for what reason. Are we living in fear like everyone else, or are we living in love? Will we be painted with the brush of hippies, even if we don't share their weaknesses... probably... but can't we continue to distinguish ourselves through our steadfast integrity?

What will be the outcome of a people doing things out of necessity only, without concern for love and peace? Is our HOPE only to survive in the midst of all that can and is going wrong? Or is our HOPE to thrive in love?

I don't know what some of the consequences of our "look like a hippie, act like a hippie, but in no way a hippie" nation will be, but if you have more insight to share, please do. I find this topic extremely interesting and would love to hear more.

A Lifestyle Of Rules

As many of you probably know, I "prefer a vegan diet."  Eating healthy, and avoiding most dairy and meat is a choice that I made when confronted with some truths about the consequences of what you eat.  It has also been reenforced by learning about the effects of mass producing cows, chickens, pigs, etc. in the most cost-effective, as well as morally, dietary, and socially upsetting, manners.

Previous to my "conversion" I ate like a normal American.  Perhaps a bit healthier, with salads and vitamin supplements, but pretty normal.  It was out of a conviction to live a better, healthier life, and a responsibility to friends and family, as well as my God, to take care of what I've been given responsibility over, and conduct myself in a way that promotes quality and quantity of life.  Like I said, it was a conviction, and following through with the choices I made required sacrifice in addition to desire and encouragement.  But there was something new and fresh in my decision.  I despised the poisons offered me, and rejected them at nearly every opportunity, despite the temptation.  I trained my body and my mind to think and expect differently, but it was all fueled by an active desire to do what is right, and help inspire others to do the same.

The funny thing about a change like that is, it soon loses its passion, and turns common place.  It becomes about rules you've set for your mind and body, rather than a desire for "what is best."  I no longer detest the idea of hydrogenated corn syrup or the chlorine in our drinking water.  I do my best to not partake of such things, but there's less conviction to it; it is simply the new norm.

I've also noticed a flexibility to consume the forbidden.  My mental military is like an army who has lost the vision of their purpose, through their uneventful stationing in a foreign land.  The battles that used to be my mind verses my eyes and tastebuds has become my mind, eyes, and tastebuds teaming up against my stomach.  I don't deny myself the sugary foods because I know the harm they will do me (if I deny them at all), I do so because I know my stomach will exact revenge.

So although I eat in a good, similar fashion to when I started, something is certainly different and amiss.

It amazes me how it can be a similar series coming from my spirit and faith.

There are times I will reevaluate my faith and with conviction I will make decisions of what I need to add and what I need to exclude from how I live.  Passion fills me and enables me to carry out these Godly desires with respect for God, myself, and others.  I feel like I've found a Truth that matters and I want to show it to the world through life.

But once again, all too soon I lose sight of why I do what I do.  It becomes for the sake of the deed itself rather than the spirit of righteousness, godliness, and repentance.  When Christianity becomes a passive lifestyle I think that's a dangerous place to be.  I also think it's an easy place to find.  We put a lot of emphasis on how we live (what we do and don't do because of our faith), but none of that means anything if it is not propelled by a spirit of desire for the Kingdom of God.  Without that drive of love for the good, we are but a clanging cymbal.

How do we rejuvenate our apathetic following of our prior convictions?

That's where our relationships come in.  Our relationships as the church and our relationship with Jesus.

Meeting with others who share our faith, who may not be in a place of apathy, but a place of passion, can help spark your spirit.  Inspiration confronting unsatisfaction brings the heart and rational mind face to face, resulting in reflectional hope for more.

Meeting with Jesus, in your prayer time and Bible reading, gives the opportunity to get the same inspiration, reflection, and hope.  I believe in this time you will be stretched too.  New aspirations, taking things to the next level, helps to reinvigorate the spirit to step up to the challenge, realizing the calling.

Realize the calling.  Remember why you live the way you do.  Confront your life with the love, purpose, and intentionality Christ displayed in his life and death.  Fathom the responsibility placed upon you as his disciple.  Listen to his voice.  Bring about the Kingdom by encouraging Truth in every facet of your life.

Rinse and Repeat.