If you want to go ahead and join the movement thats happening. http://www.************/group.php?gid=20933256250 In the second half of the sixties, hippies and flower children adopted the make love, not war slogan as a rallying call for love peace, equality and freedom of choice. A great ideal, but sadly it all went wrong. The meaning of the word love is where the slide started. Love was interpreted by many as being synonymous with sex ... and it was downhill from there. Love became sex; sex became pleasure; pleasure became drugs. And the dream ended in a cloud of smoke. The call now was to turn on, tune in and drop out Unfortunately, to the rest of the world (the "establishment"), the message received was that a bunch of long haired, dirty youths with no respect for the established norms were intent upon self destruction. Now they have grown up, and - God forbid - have children, responsibilities and mortgage bonds .... The new hippie age (for want of a better name) ... comes about when they are all a little older and wiser. We now have Aids and bad drugs to contend with. We didn't have them last time 'round. The distractions are now too dangerous for thinking people to let their desires get the better of them. Fundamental to our philosophy, is the conviction that individual dignity for all creatures is sacred. It is built on a foundation of respect for others and the well-being of all. It can be condensed into the five principles or concepts of Love, Peace, Freedom, Harmony and Happiness. All revolutions start with an ideal. They also all start as small dreams in the minds of a few thinking, intelligent people. No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo Love, of course, the mortar which binds the whole thing together. We obviously don't mean romantic attachment here - this is the selfless love for all of nature, the planet, and everything else! Love is many things. It is compassion for all creatures. It is acceptance of what is, and who we are. Love embraces our differences, and forgives all. Love looks for ways to improve the lot of the entire planet Above all else, love does no harm. It cannot be bought or sold. You can't get it by force or through fear. Love must be given before it is received. Love arrives in a golden chariot drawn by four magnificent horses named Peace, Freedom, Harmony and Happiness. Ensure that you offer these privileges to all others, and you will receive love. Remember: If you ain't givin' it, you ain't gettin' it! Universal peace is the goal. Sadly there seems to be violence everywhere ... violent crime, human rights abuses and numerous wars - strangely many wars are fought in the name of justice or religion. In contrast to the manipulating views broadcast by politicians from time to time, looking back at the lessons of history, the message is clear: Violence and war does not buy peace. It buys violence and war. It buys death and destruction. One wonders how many wars would have been averted if the leaders had been compelled to take their place amongst the troops at the front lines ... Peace is not just the absence of war. The path to peace includes the elimination of all forms of violence - whether physical, verbal, or emotional. Anything forced upon another living creature constitutes abuse. To achieve the goal, we need to is to oppose all forms of violence. Freedom is most definitely NOT the right to do whatever you want and to hell with the consequences. That is anarchy, not freedom. They say that you don't know freedom until you've lost it. This is perhaps a little dramatic, but what is true, is that freedom doesn't come without a cost. Freedom has obligations. Freedom demands consideration for others. You cannot be truly free if you deny freedom to others. To ensure our freedom we need to firstly honor every one else's freedom, then do what we can to bring freedom to all who are not free - in a nonviolent way! True freedom includes freedom of speech, religion, association, politics, sexual preference ... whatever. As an adult, you should be free to do whatever you wish ... just as long as exercising your freedom doesn't infringe upon the right of others to love, peace, freedom, harmony and happiness. This is really "live and let live" in practice. Harmony can take some work! This is probably one of the areas most of us need the greatest effort. One of the main causes of conflict on this planet is the inability to apply this concept - especially when confronted with strongly held views, such as religious belief or political affiliation.To live in harmony, we need to accept that there are other points of view - and be content with that. In return, we get to retain our opinions. It is only by the airing of different points of view that we are able to get a handle on what is real. It is always worthwhile to test our position against that of others. Another essential aspect to the attainment of harmony is forgiveness. It is sometimes difficult to let go of an affront. If you think about it, why hang onto something so negative that it diminishes you? One good thing is that the more one practices getting along with everyone despite differences, the easier it becomes. It often helps to try seeing things from their point of view. It is widely explained that smiling is a lot easier on the facial muscles than frowning. This may not be a good enough reason to be happy, but it's nice to know... Something that really works - and a better reason to smile - is that displaying a positive, joyful attitude to all we encounter, is infectious. Others catch it, and you will find yourself being happier. Strangely, many people actually seem to prefer keeping happiness at bay by bemoaning their misfortune at every opportunity. Surely it is better to reflect on what we DO have rather than what we DON'T have? There is an enormous amount of negativity around us all the time. It starts when we are children, and unfortunately continues until we die. We need to use every opportunity to offset all the negative energy we've absorbed so far and to fend off future negativity. Happiness is, in itself, a subject worthy of volumes; but once we are both giving and receiving Love, Peace, Freedom and Harmony, then we will be happy. What should be obvious by now, is that the "new hippie" is a far cry from the 60s hippie. This movement has evolved from the ideals of the flower children, but has matured and been blended with the views of enlightened philosophers and teachers. It has now become a practical philosophy which can be applied to daily life in the 21st Century and has the potential to fundamentally change every aspect of our lives and interpersonal relationships. Being realistic and practical, we need to accept that this vision will not all come to pass overnight. What we have here is a framework and goal to work towards. At this early stage in our mission we need all the support possible. Members of the movement have the opportunity to contribute ideas and to influence the expanded treatise. I invite you to join the movement... http://www.************/group.php?gid=20933256250
