The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher
Did you know this is Baby Boomer Recognition Day? Well, it is, and aren't you glad our baby boomer generation has conformed a little bit from that rebellious era of the 60's and hippies.
As my husband,
Michael, celebrates his 49th birthday this Sunday and is leaning on
the
edge of
maturity, I caught him having his last big fling, (I hope) with an old wig
we had found in the attic. He was coaxed by my brother, David, who looked
pretty unusual in the wig, too.
I am showing the "peace sign" in my picture in hopes Michael won't be too angry with me for wishing him a happy birthday in this way.
Perhaps he will look at his picture and recall some love songs from the sixties, such as The Mamas and The Papas. Whoops, was their famous hit, "If I Had A Hammer?" I might be in trouble.
He might even recall the famous line from the movie from the seventies: "Love Story" with Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw: "Love is never having to say you're sorry."
Perhaps he will think about songs from an album he had bought me in the 80's by Kenny Rogers "You Decorated My Life."
To recognize the baby boomers on their special day, not all of them were hippies or tried the rebellious route, although many remember the crowd at Woodstock.
The hippie movement was suppose to be all about "love" but it mainly was about "freedom from rules" and doing "whatever feels good."
For many, it was free love, smoking pot, along with rebelling against all the things our forefathers fought for, and the burning of our flag.
I remember our young men fighting in the Vietnam War and at the same time, many protests, including the one at Kent State where college protestors were shot and riots broke out across campuses of other colleges including the University of Illinois.
The protests and the rudeness toward our young soldiers as they landed on American soil from Vietnam was heart wrenching.
The hippie era was suppose to be about cherishing personal freedom, which it seems everyone can acclaim to, but the hippie movement was about pot, free love, a disrespect for the flag, and a nation in turmoil.
You can partially survive this kind of era, however, and might even be elected President of the United States one day. Of course, old habits are hard to break.
It is scary to think there are still American citizens among us who push drugs, who carry armed weapons to work and into schools, and who show a lack of respect for those who are protecting our streets, our communities, our families and the nation.
According to one man who said he is a sixties hippie, the hippie movement got out-of-hand. Hippies wanted to resolve differences among people with conflict using love and tolerance. This means accepting others as they are, letting them freely express themselves, and not judging them.
But to me, this is like an out of control child asking for no rules, no control, and saying if you loved me you would let me express myself.
Despite the skeptics, the baby boomer generation is effecting America in positive ways.
They are refurnishing their homes, taking early retirement, working part time, relaxing, golfing, fishing, traveling, and investing in the new wave of e-commerce that has changed the world's way of communicating.
As the hippie in each of us yearns for independence, let's learn from our forefathers, that rules and respect for others are necessary to protect that freedo