by Alex Hackford

Created on: December 09, 2008

Praying For Peace

In the midst of a global war on terrorism, the concept of world peace seems more distant than ever. Over 29,000 casualties, including 4,000 killed, have been reported since 2003, and it's estimated that there have been over 100,000 Iraqi deathsboth military and civiliansince the same year (The Cost of War). Outside of our American bubble things aren't looking any better. Crime rates are on the rise all over the world and let's face it, the issues of racial and ethnic prejudices our country fought to overcome in the sixties are still surprisingly prevalent in parts of the south, bustling urban developments, and isolated rural areas throughout the country. So how are we supposed to take actions against these acts of hatred and fear? In truth, I don't have a solution. I do, however, have a bit of inspiration to share.

Last Friday, as I pondered my topic for this very assignment, my roommate chimed in and asked if I had ever heard of The Rainbow Family of Living Light. I quickly replied that I had not, eager to silence her input so I could get back to my own jumbled thought process. My answer failed to shake her though, and she added, "They're a group of hippies from the seventies that still get together every year to celebrate world peace!" My interest was instantly peaked. I demanded to know where she had heard about such a group, and after some contemplation she went to a bookshelf, rummaged through a few stacks of paperbacks and removed a collection of short memoir-style stories entitled Wild Child. I sat and read the short chapter about the peace-preaching attempt at a revival of the sixties counterculture and was instantly hooked. And while the origins of The Rainbow Family of Living Light are rooted in Native American prophesies many would consider far-fetched, the basic ideas of peace and love are nothing our world couldn't benefit from. In a recent video posted on youtube.com, a founding member of the Family explained, "There are more important things besides yourself and your ego. Out of the I' and into the We'that's the place that we all should be" (Rainbow Elder). And that, my friends, is but the tip of the peace-loving iceberg.

In the fall of 1969 Barry Adams and Garrick Beck crossed paths at a Renaissance Fair in Eugene, Oregon. Barry was one of the leaders of a "hippie" group called the Marble Mount Outlaws and Garrick Beck helped to organize the Temple Tribe, "a group of craftspeople" who envisioned a re-strengthening of the counterculture

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