What is ADitLoAMDH? (An exposition on hippies from the modern POV)

Took out all the sex and drugs, and kept all the love and rock'n'roll.

I realized that while I think my blog title (A Day in the Life of a Modern-Day Hippie) meets and creates feelings in me, the word "hippie" also implies druggie tree-huggers and flower-power and tie-dye t-shirts.

I'm not gonna lie, I know the connotations.

But I think that's sad. The hippies of the '60s didn't mean for their image to be a bunch of future-less, drugged-out hobos. They wanted change and revolution, and they really did believe their method to be the best.

"The true hippie spirit is one of love, peace, understanding and a deep respect for others and the planet." (Source)

Now I know I'm not a "real" hippie. I'm religious, I do understand that without a government, we're all pretty much doomed to kill each other, and I have a deep respect for cultures.

A basic overview of the hippie history:

It's said that it's a branching off or extension of the beatnik generation, whom were known as "bohemian hedonist" writers, who lived for nonconformity and creativity. They sought spiritual understanding, seen through writers like Jack Kerouac.

It's then easy to see how the hippie movement came from that kind of culture.

The hippie movement was not only in America or Europe--it was widespread all across the world. Japan had its own fair share of rioters. Europe gave birth to the punk era through its hippie counterculture.

The drug part of hippiedom--inclusive of weed (marijuana) and acid (LSD)--all stemmed from the idea that the drugs and the experiences that came with them would broaden your mind, create enlightenment. And with at least a greater part of the population enlightened, then society would be changed, socially and politically. (You have to remember, during the 60s, many were upset with politics due to the Vietnam War, there was the Cold War with Russia, there is a lot of racism still present, and at the same time, the US was trying to force kids into school to keep up with the Russians, who sent Sputnik up into space the same year)

Because hippies try hard to break away from the "preprogrammed" minds and thoughts society has engrained into us, the belief that drugs help one to essentially break free seems to then make sense. While a few hippies believe drugs are not necessary, they also say that it's difficult to break out of that frame of mind.

So I suppose drugs were the means; the mind and freedom of the spirit were the cause.

I suppose to some extent, I understand this--people on a whole are inevitably going to follow the rules and laws of what both the media, our peers and parents. We are products of the machine, and we will, sooner or later, do something not because we wanted to, but because it's in us to do it.

It brings up all sorts of existential questions actually--"If what we think is affected by our society and environment, is this how I'm supposed to be?" "Am I who I think I am, or am I defining myselef through the standards of TV?"

No, I'm not saying the government is trying to control us. (Though I'm a good five steps and 3 possible sleepless nights away from believing it; it's so much easier to control money-grubbing, selfish follows than a society of thinkers.)

It's kind of like, you know how when you're a kid, you listen to your parents, not really knowing why, but if you keep on doing what they say, it becomes a habit to do it. Like, for a while, till you become rebellious-whiny-teenager, you unquestioningly do whatever mom'n'pops say cause it's IN you to do it. Is that really you, or not?

I often wonder what I would be like if I was closed off from society, but then I figured I could end up in a white room and figure it out myself someday.

A lot of LSD was supplied as "Can you pass the acid test?"

Sex and hippies also makes sense if you take into account the strict rules about sex and marriage of earlier times. After ideally breaking free from the constraints, you don't have to listen to those rules anymore.

And what's there to explain about rock'n'roll? As generations move on, we hate our parent's music. We change the style and bam, our parents hate our music. It's also part of the whiny teenager syndrome.

Well, okay, maybe not. But have you guys ever really listened to actual hippie music? It's also called psychedelic rock. In it, they improv while on drugs. It's like jazz, cept more fantasy realmed than artful. Woodstock was love peace and LSD. Maybe.

So you see, being a hippie was more than "LULZ LET'S GET HIGH AND EXCHANGE BODILY FLUIDS!" It was more of a rebellion against society and what it meant to do to the individual. It's fighting against the constraints of those against you.

For me, I'm fighting against the generic lifestyle. I don't want to fall prey to judgment by others, and I don't want to fall prey to the lust for aggrandizement. To me, I'm going to fight misconceptions regarding things I love and enjoy. I want to do things I like, regardless of whether most people approve of me or not.

To me, being a "hippie" means fighting for what you believe in--for them, it was enlightenment, which also lead to human rights, and for me it means looking for a way to bring good back into the culture. It's to bring back human kindness and decency, and leaving behind the irresponsible nature we've been brought up in. I also want people to open their eyes and see what's wrong, and to bring about change.


This sounds rancidly a lot more idealistic than informative than I might have hoped.