what does being a "hippie" mean to you?

Yeah, somewhere beyond the Doors of perception

 

I'm not sure I'm a hippie, but I like the diverse subforums.

 

My first exposure to the hippie culture was when I was 10, and my dad took my sister and I to a large festival out in the Applegate valley called the Barter Fair. It was an all ages event. Interestingly enough my parents were not hippies. I’m not sure if I would assign myself with that label either but I dig the scene, the events, the music, and the people.

 

I was called a "hippie" and a "witch" before I had any realization that I could qualify for both of those labels. I tend not to follow the mainstream, I question authority, I revere Nature, I care about people, I love music and literature, I believe that we have the power to change things... That sort of stuff.

 

Hippie counterculture is something I've always loved and was drawn to since I was a teenager. It's why and how I found these forums. I am a pretty stereotypical hippie and am ok with that. Though I will say most hippies I met are liberals and I'm more of an anarchist.

 

for me i didn't really know what hippies were, it's just that this forum keep popping up on a lot of the different things i was googling.

 

For me it's a respect of nature and an understanding of how I can create a better world. To see that we are all the same even if minor things like skin color are not the same. I think I tolerate anything as long as it's not hateful or hurtful to other people. Some will say different and that I am actuly very intolerant. I would say it's more like I combine logical science and the hippy dippy views to form my world view. If you are hateful or ignorant it's not cool with me. Even the most loving person must draw a line so what is not love can not exist under the idea that love tolerates everything.

I don't think you have to be just like people were in the 60's. I really like that time period but I am my own person and don't limit my interests to what I think the 60's would say. I seem to be more of a mainstream society hippie compared to other people I know. Like I enjoy my big screen TV and sports cars. I don't want to live in a van off the grid. Others have no interest in any of that. Why do you need a TV man? And that car kills the planet. Yes it does but less so than the average SUV even though I can go much faster. Although I did pick a house deep in the woods so I can see nature.

It's not just drugs but if you think certain drugs help you then go for it. A hippie who only does drugs and sees nothing else is a wook. I am not a wook.

 

Hippies often look like wookies though

 

what it means to me, is about as much as "being" a furry, a model railroader, an artist a photografur, a literary skiffy and mystery fan, a designer of imaginary places and worlds, et al.
the only thing i BE is an awareness that attempts to observe honestly without deceiving myself. not even gender has anything to do with identity.
it is simply one of among these others mentioned, of things that interest me. granted i have a certain nostelgia for what i thought of it being about.
but the only things i think of as identity are perspectives, priorities, and preferences. none of which are defined entirely by any one of my interests by itself.