The World Has Changed

It is a far different world today than the one of my youth. Then, America was isolated form the rest of the world by two vast oceans. The products that Americans needed were built in America. Television was new, and there were those that doubted it would ever amount to much. Air travel was not the way people traveled. WWII had ended, and the war in Korea was almost over. The only war we were fighting was the "Cold War", what ever that was. And the country was being linked with a new system of super highways. We were Americans and proud of it. Surely there was no better place on Earth to be. We were comfortable in our belief that everything was great and that it would only get better. But, the world was changing, as it always has and always will. If history teaches us anything, it is that change is constant. And change the world did. To me, it seemed so very sudden. America became embroiled in a social revolution. Things that I had never heard of, or thought about, were prompting Americans to demand changes. Issues of race, equal rights, and freedom of speech led to protests and marches throughout the country. People in every corner of America were divided. At the same time we became involved in the Vietnam War. More protests, more marches, more internal division. I was still young, only a teenager, and to me it seemed as though the idyllic world of my youth had turned to one of chaos overnight. And, like most of the youth of that time, I began to look around me, look at the things occurring in my world, listening to what people were saying and trying to make sense of it all. What a shock! I began to look at the things that were happening in the world. I began to question. What was I seeing, and what was I taught? Was there a difference? Why? And with the onset of questioning, I began to evaluate my opinions and beliefs. I discovered a new me. I discovered that I had the ability to think for myself, to question things, to form my own opinions and to become an individual. Not only did I discover I had the ability to do these things, I decided that I had the right to do these things. Further, I decided that I had a responsibility to do these things. I had a responsibility to myself. This self realization changed me. And from that point forward, I decided that I would decide what I believed, and never allow others to make those decisions for me. And that has not changed. Taking things at face value, believing things because someone says it, accepting something because it has always been that way became sins in my life. As I started to see things in a different light, I became aware that others had come to the same conclusions. Others had similar beliefs. I was not alone. And those of us who thought alike gravitated towards each other. We talked, exchanged ideas, and as our numbers grew, so did our voice. Our voice was expressed through our music, our marches, protests and literature. And the world began to take notice of us. Everything in this world seems to need labels, and we were no different, so we were labeled. Some called us radicals, malcontents and trouble makers. We were called dropouts, weirdo's and revolutionaries. We were called good things, bad things, even evil things. But to most, we were Hippies and Flower Children. And, together, we changed the world. Our voice helped to bring about changes in America. We brought about a new awareness to Americans, and in truth, to the world. We were instrumental in integration, women's rights, equal rights and political changes in America. But, once again, the world was changing. Living life means we grow older. Time does not stand still. And the Hippies of my time were not immune to this law of nature. We grew older. We began to look back upon the things we accomplished in our youth. We were proud of what we had done, and justly so in my opinion. After all, didn't we accomplish change? But, we made mistakes, as everybody does. And we did not see our mistakes because we became lost in nostalgia. We had failed in one thing, perhaps the most important thing. We failed to educate the next generation. We did not teach our children that it was their responsibility to continue to see things for what they really are, to evaluate what they saw and to form their own opinions. We did not instill in them the importance a social voice and the power that such a voice can wield. They were never taught, so it is no wonder that it has not been passed on to the present generation. Today's world is much different. The problems are more complex. America is no longer an isolated country. We are just one part of a world community. Technological changes and economics have linked the world as never before. The products we buy today come from all corners of the world. Television is not the novelty it was when I was young. It has become an integral part of life today. The Internet has given us access to information never dreamed of when I was a youth. We have evolved into a "Real Time" world with "real Time" problems. The problems of yesterday have not been solved, they did not go away. They have grown, become exponentially more complex. We still have social inequities, racial issues, civil rights issues and human rights issues. The same things we fought against fifty years ago. And we have new problems. Environmental issues we never recognized when we were young, religious issues that involve the entire world. The time has come for change. If not now, when? These are some of the concerns I have, some of the things I will talk about. The fact that change is constant is reality, not opinion. We have only two choices. Ignore changes, and allow others to dictate our world to us, or identify the changes and try to direct them towards the best interests of all of us in this world. My choice is a simple one for me. My choice is to try and make things right, not for the few, not for the rich and powerful, not for this country or that country, but right for all of the people that share this world with me. That seems an impossible task. But it is not. Look at what we did in the 60's. It begins with you and me. It begins by stepping back and looking at reality. It begins with each of us looking for the truth. It begins with exchanging ideas, eliminating preconceptions, finding commonalities and acting upon what you believe. It begins with the determination to find what is right, right not just for me, but right for everyone, and doing it. I welcome your opinions. I can only affect change within myself. I can not change you, but the truth is that if we can find commonality, we have more power to affect change then we do alone.