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The Generation of Peace and Love.

I was 13 in 1969. I was idealistic like most thirteen year old kids. I truly believed that my generation was the one that would change the world for the better. What adolescent doesn't? Those of you who are my age will remember the "summer of love". The music, Woodstock, free love, turn on and tune out. The throwing off of restraints. The idealistic age of Aquarius. An end to war and greed. The challenging of the old order. Some, at that time saw it as a way to rebel. But others saw it as a time to make a difference. We wanted to change what was wrong with the world. I was one of those who wanted to make a difference.

Many good things came out of the Age of Aquarius; the ecology movement, the civil rights movement, the end of the Viet Nam war, equal pay and protection under the law for women and children, just to name a few. The sixties and seventies were a time of many changes in our society. Those who did not live through these changes do not realize just how much has changed from the fifties to the present day.

But if we are honest we must admit that not all that changed was for the better. We threw out the baby with the bath water. We demanded freedom from restraints that held society together in the name of peace and love. Our world today is not kinder, friendlier, and safer, cleaner or happier like we were led to believe it would be. Love and peace are not free. Love demands responsibility for the one loved. Love is not sex and freedom is not turning on and tuning out. Peace is not flowers and it is not as easy as we thought.

Peace and and love are not possible without rules and law. Human beings are not innately good. The world is a cruel place without God. Were we flower children wrong? No, there were alot of things that needed changing. The inequalities, the corporate greed, governmental indifference, religion with out answers, all these were real problems and needed real solutions.

Along with the tuning in and dropping out...we did change alot of things, but was it all for the best? Have we seen the dawn of the Age of Aquarius? God gave the law to Israel to show them what real peace and love was about. The Law of God also showed mankind that without a change of heart, no amount of rules can make man righteous and good. The Law showed us our need for forgiveness and repentance, our need of salvation from sin. Denying sin does not make it go away. Denying the need for God's law (morality and values) does not make the world

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