The Hippies WERE Right

They were right about a lot of things ya know. Well, at least in my opinion. I know, I know, so some of them smoked weed. Well, no one is perfect and not all hippies got stoned all day long. In addition, I am talking about the good old hippies, not what people might associate with chaining themselves to trees or extreme animal activists. The hippies I'm talking about are passionate, but peaceful. Moving on now. When I think of a hippy, the first things that come to my mind are Goodwill clothes, caring for the earth, gardening and an overall sense of well being. Let's break those attributes down.

Goodwill clothes: The hippies really don't seem to care that their clothes aren't on the cover of a magazine or brand new. There is something to be said about this. Where have we gone wrong. Most people believe that they have to dress a certain way or have a certain brand to be accepted. Personally speaking, most of my clothes are given to me or bought from Goodwill. There are a few brand new "splurge" items hiding in my closet too. But...I would be lying if I said I don't think about what I wear. There are thoughts that go through my mind as I'm walking out of the house, wondering what some people might think. I hate it when I find myself worrying about what other people think. It's a waste of time and we shouldn't. The truth is, we are bombarded through the media that in order to be someone you have to look a certain way. Unfortunately, in most cases, people are treated differently when they don't dress "trendy". You can't blame most people, after all they are brainwashed in to believing that how you look is what is most important.

Caring for the earth: I firmly believe that caring for the earth is something we are all under the obligation to do. Now don't get me wrong, I am not perfect at this. The other day I used an awful oven cleaner and threw away a peanut butter jar. But, I do my best. You see, this planet was created by God. At the end of his creation he said it was "good". I feel as if God created this, why shouldn't I take care of all the beautiful things he made? How am I somehow exempt? Am I special? Nope. The hippies also knew that when you care for the earth, you appreciate it's beauty so much more.

Gardening: I'm going to try my hand at a real garden this year. I'm really excited about it. Hippies really had it right when they saw it prudent to have a vegetable garden. After all, in todays society, most people rely on huge producers to supply them with their fruits and veggies through the grocery store. The shift from home grown to mass production has really screwed things up in a major way. For the most part, these foods are not even close to the nutritional content of home grow, organic food. I mean, isn't that really what organic is...home grown. Without all the genetic modifications and harmful chemicals? I can't stand how unhealthy and nutrient deficient our food has become. The hippies, they knew that what you made yourself was the healthiest for their bodies and fostered self sufficiency at the same time.

Well, I guess this explains why hippies always seem to have this peace and sense of well being about them. They did a lot of things right. They didn't care about what others thought, they took care of their surroundings, tended the earth and filled themselves with excellent nutrition. Or, maybe it was the pot. ;)
There are so many other attributes to the hippies I didn't even touch on. Perhaps you would like to leave a comment about an attribute you find in a hippy you would like to talk about.
There is something to those hippies. Think about it.