Who is old enough to remember it and how did it effect you?

I'm asking because I want a thread that requires comments from people I can relate to. (*is getting sick of having to always having to try to remember the difference between Dream Theatre and Tool*)

FuzzyDude:

I was an active "hippie" toward the latter part of the "flower power/psychedelia" era: from about 1969 to 1974.  And, of course, I witnessed the beginning of that era.

How did it effect me?  Well...do you have about 10 hours?

It would be impossible to explain in a few words, since the effect was essentially on every level: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc.  I would need a lengthy post on each of these areas just to get at some of the basics.

If I had to make just one comment, I would say that, overall, it gave me an understanding of and sense of people: of human nature, foibles, virtues, limits, causes, interpersonal interaction, etc.  That "sense of people" would be one of the things that went on to "shape" who I became as an adult.  (And note that this was all long before I became a person of faith.)

I will add more as I see what others have to say.

And although this topic has arisen before, it has been some time, so it is a good, timely topic for discussion.

Peace.

Eddy wrote: maani where were you in the earlier hippie times like in 1967? during 1969 to 1974 wasnt hippie society crumbling at 1970?? didnt hippes "look" become mainstream in 1970, distroying the original hippe?? darn i wish i lived in that era, that would be so GRoovy!

No, you don't, there was a lot more to it than bellbottoms and flowers in your hair, and you better thank your parents for only giving birth to you when they did. *is tired of the romantic images people paint of the era these days... it was a whole lot scarier than it looks now on those f**king 'Relive the 60s and 70s!' commercials*

Eddie:

Historically - i.e., socio-culturally, socio-politically, etc. - "decades" don't usually begin on a "0" and end on a "9."  What we call "the 40s" ran from approximately 1942 to 1953.  The "50s" ran from about 1953/4 to 1961/2.  The "60s" ran from about 1962/3/4 to 1974.  The "70s" were actually the "shorest" era, running from 1974 to about 1980.

Each "era" can be defined (admittedly a bit simplistically) by "era-separating" political and cultural events.  The 50s arguably ended when (i) the civil rights era began in earnest, and (ii) rock and roll entered the picture.  These are just two of a few era-defining events.

The 60s began with the civil rights era and rock and roll.  But they did not truly end until (i) the end of the Vietnam War in 1974/5 (and the concurrent resignation of Nixon over the Watergate scandal), and (ii) the advent of disco (and, the following year, "punk").  True, some people argue that the 60s ended in 1970, with the killing of four students at Kent State (some would even argue 1969, after the murder at the Stones' concert at Altamont).  However, there was still a huge - and quite active - "counter-culture" movement (including "hippies") well into the early 1970s.  Once the war was ended, that "counter-culture" no longer had a galvanizing, unifying goal, and so it quickly dissipated.

Again, I admit that this is a somewhat simplistic explanation.  However, having been there, I feel that it is fairly accurate.

Peace.