[MD] Hippies

[Ant McWatt]

Platt stated to Ham January 31st 2006:

In my book you look at a theory like you look at paintings and choose the 
one
you think best. Scientists like paintings filled with mathematical formulas 
and
measurements. I like paintings that hint of something beyond objective
verification -- paintings that suggest levels beyond what we fully 
understand.
Or as Edgar Allan Poe put it: “to make one see or hear with shivering
delight a sight or sound which cannot have been unfamiliar to angels.”

I would guess you experienced something like when your theory of Essence 
fell
into place for you. I felt like that after reading “Lila.”

We really can’t ask for much more. :-)

Ant McWatt comments:

Platt,

Very true.  In fact, I agree with nearly everything you wrote in the post 
that the above quote was taken from.  I think it generally has good 
responses from you to Ham’s SOM ideas on “anything goes” relativism and will 
be a post worth keeping hold of.

However, there is just one sticking point in this post where you sound a bit 
like a right-wing caricature (maybe Cartman from the cartoon series “South 
Park”?).  You also said:

“‘Better Red than dead’ was the cry of 60’s Hippies. Had that idea 
prevailed, I
doubt if you and I would be having this conversation today.”

Let’s say my eyes looked up in the air when I first read this phrase.  
Anyway, conflating Hippy philosophy as largely supporting Soviet communism 
is an unfair and highly misleading comment.  For instance, in his text 
“Hippies From A to Z”, Skip Stone (or is that “Stoned Skip”?), the Webmaster 
and Editor of Hippy.com, states that being a hippy is actually more to do 
with the MOQ emphasis on freedom and an openness to new experiences than 
anything else:

“Let’s see what defines a hippie. Some say it’s the way people dress, and 
behave, a lifestyle. Others classify drug users and rock ‘n’ roll fans or 
those with certain radical political views as hippies. The dictionary 
defines a hippie as one who doesn’t conform to society’s standards and 
advocates a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Can all these definitions be 
right?”

“It seems to me that these definitions [and Platt’s] miss the point. By 
focusing on the most visible behavioral traits these limited descriptions 
fail to reveal what lies in the hippie heart that motivates such behavior. 
To understand The Way of the Hippy, we must look at those circumstances that 
preceded the birth of the hippy movement, the important events that changed 
our lives, our resulting frustration with society, and the philosophy that 
developed from our spiritual maturation.”

“My view is that being a hippie is a matter of accepting a universal belief 
system that transcends the social, political, and moral norms of any 
established structure, be it a class, church, or government…

[Exactly and watching Fox News/ listening to old Rush isn’t going to help 
achieve this independent state of mind!]

“Each of these powerful institutions has its own agenda for controlling, 
even enslaving people. Each has to defend itself when threatened by real or 
imagined enemies. So we see though history a parade of endless conflicts 
with country vs. country, religion vs. religion, class vs. class. After 
millennia of war and strife, in which uncounted millions have suffered, we 
have yet to rise above our petty differences.”

“The way of the hippie is antithetical to all repressive hierarchical power 
structures since these are adverse to the hippie goals of peace, love and 
freedom. This is why the ‘Establishment’ feared and suppressed the hippie 
movement of the ‘60s, as it was a revolution against the established order. 
It is also the reason why the hippies were unable to unite and overthrow the 
system since they refused to build their own power base. Hippies don’t 
impose their beliefs on others. Instead, hippies seek to change the world 
through reason and by living what they believe.”

“To be a hippie you must believe in peace as the way to resolve differences 
among peoples, ideologies and religions. The way to peace is through love 
and tolerance. Loving means accepting others as they are, giving them 
freedom to express themselves and not judging them based on appearances. 
This is the core of the hippie philosophy.”

Above all, note the following:

“The hippy movement erected signposts for all to see. Some warn us of 
impending danger, others direct us towards richer, more fulfilling lives, 
but most show us the road to freedom. Freedom is the paramount virtue in 
this system. Freedom to do as one pleases, go where the flow takes you, and 
to be open to new experiences. This engenders an attitude that allows for 
maximum personal growth.”

(http://hippy.com/hippyway.htm)

The above analysis sounds to me more like an anti-thesis to the repressive 
ideology of the Soviet regimes (that we both don’t want to see back again).  
However, when I hear about America and Communists, it always makes me think 
of another repressive ideology that I hope never to see again: namely 
McCarthy and his witch hunts and the resulting cultural “stink” that 
encouraged free thinking people like Robert Pirsig to leave the States in 
the 1950s.  Now had McCarthy and his RIGHT-WING colleagues completely 
prevailed, I also doubt “that you and I would be having this conversation 
today”.

Best wishes,

Anthony.


“Speaking of Satan, I was watching Rush Limbaugh the other day…”

Bill Hicks, “Rant in E-minor” CD, 1997

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