I’m not a Hippie or even a Beat. You cannot go through life with labels stuck on you. But I am alternative.
I was part of the Sixties Underground and took on a lot of the idealism and optimism of those times. I was seeped in Kerouac and Ginsberg and took that all into my spirit.
I wanted a new way of living that did not fit with this greedy capitalist dream. I did not see wealth, power and fame as sensible goals that lead to happiness and fulfilment. I wanted something more personal and internal. Excitement, love, creativity, music, adventure, experience, friendship, travel, wisdom and beauty seemed much more fulfilling to me.
I took from those times and experiences and then grew and adapted. I am the product of my times, experiences and personality.
So what do I mean by alternative?
I am a creative person, a free thinker, who imagines a different way of living. I seek fulfilment in different ways. I am an idealist and optimist who looks at the mess people are making of the planet and, rather than pretending that it has nothing to do with me, is looking for a better way of living.
There has to be more to life than consuming drivel.
I do it my way.
Kerouac and Ginsberg were they not part of the Beat group, they used to play at “The Purple Onion” in San Francisco.
Too true Jnana! There is a sensibility that fills people with a spark. Some are alive, creating and striving to make the world and some are cogs in the machine.
They were part of the Beat Poetry scene of the fifties. Jack Kerouac wrote stream of consciousness novels about life in the crazy black Jazz scene of the fifties and Allen Ginsberg wrote poems.
The work’s not finished, no matter the label we apply. Finding a circle of kindred spirits certainly helps keep the faith.
There has to be more to life than consuming – right – consuming drivel – too right!
Make a stand for passion and truth. I want a life with depth and feeling. Cheers Dave.