hippie-dippie.
peace mannnn.
hippies were a huge part of the counter-culture the 60s and 70s. they were mythologized so much so that it becomes the standard whenever you’re referencing that time period. the hippies represent a group of people disillusioned by the establishment and their ideals of consumerism and war.
I’m sure that I wouldn’t be accepted into that counter-culture movement of either those times or now, but there is a level of it which I respect.
I remember a moment of enlightenment that I had when I was hanging out with some friends in a park back in college. it was dark, it was cold, and I was very tired but I recall coming to the realization that there’s not any reason for the powers at be to help anyone figure out how to think for themselves to get what they want.
it may seem like a completely naïve thing to have come to a realization about recently, but I recall being so very dumbfounded at the very idea. up unto that point, my mental framework operated under the assumption that the systems set into place would help me get to where I wanted to go (even though I didn’t know where I wanted to go) as long as I played by its rules. under some innocent worldview, I believed that: fundamentally, all of the guidelines wanted me to get what I wanted without having me go so far out of my way to get it. that it would bring it forth to me and I would just fall upon what I wanted without giving anything of value in return.
after the smallest amount of reflection on this idea, I realized that is ridiculously untrue. from 1984, I think it is incredibly true across any sources of authority: those that seek power do so only in the sake of power itself. to give freedom without securing a tie to the governing body that would keep the system afloat would be suicide to that group. how could it exist if no one would use its tools or play its games? if everyone “wins”, how would anyone win? how could a system support itself on a bed of people who all are content doing their own thing? it can’t. it needs people doing the every facet of life. it needs sales people, to trench diggers, to professors, to project managers; as many people on the bottom, holding up the top as possible, making a robust work force, capable of doing menial tasks with little thought.
I’ve been called the ‘hippie-child’ by my parents and I never really knew why. I still don’t. I’m not as active socially as my other siblings. I don’t really give energy freely to moments even if I agree with them. I question things I suppose and I like to know why things are the way they are.
a system predicated on building mindless people with no autonomy could replace humans from the workforce and leave a lot of people struggling to work. in this case, building yourself up to be connected to a community seems like the most counter-culture play you can make. make yourself valuable. obviously you can’t protect yourself from everything, but give yourself as good as a shot as you can. this is coming from someone who spent the front half of his twenties asleep at the wheel, not acting upon helping myself. this is a reminder to future me when I am feeling lazy; the system isn’t made to help you, it chews you up and spits you out if you’re not careful. still, nothing is risk free and we’re also here to roll the dice. roll the damn dice and have a story to tell.
I am so tired. it’s late, a late blog upload. my bad on that, just some thoughts fr.
action / everything.
all praise is due to the most high.
