by Kris Olds

Created on: February 11, 2009

"Down with the man! " "Make love, not war!" In the 1960's and 70's, these chants filled the air. It was a time of hope, of challenging authority, of independence. Now we're more likely to hear, "Double tall non-fat latte with sugar free vanilla" or "Don't forget to plug your laptop in before going to bed so it's charged for tomorrow.". Forty years ago, Pottery Barn may have been the place where folks made their own dishes for communal dinners. Now, plates match napkins, which match towels, which match drapes. Have the hippies of yesteryear sold out? Or have they completed the natural cycle of life that has led them to their yuppie-ness of today?

The hippies of the past were people who were committed to equality and feeling the love. This hasn't changed. The part that has changed is the way it is expressed. With each life stage, additional responsibilities are added. The hippies of the 70's are now the parents of teenagers, if not adults. They have made the sacrifices to see their families be healthy and happy. These are the same beliefs that were espoused during the heyday of sex, drugs and rock and roll. They are now the bosses and supervisors and creative managers for the businesses they would have once shunned. But they are bringing a sense of consciousness to the positions. The commitment to eco-friendly practices can be tied back to the "hippy generation". Now it's is part of everyday business, educational and financial instutitions. Hippy versus yuppy really comes down to a matter of expression.

At some point in life, we all turn into what we, at one point, despised. Children become parents, artists become bosses, spenders become savers. We evolve. We change. We grow. No one is exempt from this. Not the hippies, not the yuppies. Life is a continuous journey. And when you stop growing and changing, you stop living. These are the exact tenets that the hippies were celebrating! Only now they are celebrating them from Volvo's and soccer games.

The hippies of yesterday turned into the yuppies of today by continuing to care about the things that are important. They prioritize, they enjoy themselves and they take their responsibilities seriously. The fashion may have changed, the music may have changed. But the core sense of being a group of individuals who feel a part of something bigger and put their energies where their priorities are have stayed the same.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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