One of the lingering questions asks, “Just what happened to the hippies in the end? Where did they all go?”
It’s a complex question, of course, which in turn leads to a range of possible answers.
One of them, though, would say that hippies never actually went away, not entirely.
Yes, many donned business suits or the like and were submerged into the broader economy. I’m hoping that as retirement hits, many of them will return to their idealistic and communal roots, especially in the face of the financial realities of living on Social Security, shrinking pensions, and meager investments.
Many others, though, despite their more conventional attire these days, have focused on a particular strand of the hippie legacy.
Among them:
- Peace and nonviolence witness.
- Racial and sexual equality.
- Environmental and “green” concerns.
- Back-to-the-earth living, including organic farming, natural foods, and vegan.
- Alternative economics, including sustainability, co-ops, and nonprofits.
- Music and the arts, often including folk traditions.
- Healthy exercise, from hiking and camping to bicycling and cross-country skiing to contradancing and yoga.
- Educational reform, including charter schools and homeschooling.
- Spirituality, including meditation and chanting or Spirit-infused Christianity.
- Boho fashion.
You can add to the list. While I touch on many of these as they were unfolding in my Hippie Trails novels, there’s no way I could capture everything, much less discuss the current incarnations. For example, every time we see a Prius, just think: it’s what the Bug was back then.
I’m curious, though, about which ways you find the hippie experience echoing in your own life. What issues and themes are you continuing? And which ones do you miss? I bet you’re still wearing those blue jeans, too … most likely without the bib.
Me? It starts with being Quaker. And stretches through much of my work as a poet and author. Or even my focus when I was still in the newsroon.
Jnana's Red Barn 
My Mom and Dad protested the Vietnam War and marched with Martin Luther King. My mother was also a Quaker and was a social activist. I wasn’t a hippy myself, but I remember the activities of my parents when I was younger and my mother held to the same tenets throughout her life.
I forgot to say that I feel that I got my social conscience from my mother. She was a great teacher in that respect.
What a wonderful reminder. I can think of several friends whose mothers introduced them to peace marches and demonstrations.