Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Revisiting the Summer of Love (or The Legacy of the Hippies)


Posted by michele@thinkmarriage.org

Depending on your age, you may or may not remember the Summer of Love as it was dubbed by the media four decades ago. Ask anyone today what a “hippie” is…and they could give you some kind of definition. The flocking of people who had been congregating in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury area to the Golden Gate Park for the Human Be-In is greatly affecting you and me to this very day, especially if you are a Marriage Champion for healthy marriages!

How so, you say?

The Summer of Love actually began in Jan. of 1967 with the Human Be-In, but it’s what brought the media’s attention to what was happening out in whacky old California! As news of the happening spread across the nation (remember, this was pre-blog, pre-internet, pre-cell phones…pre texting!) people headed for the good times out in sunny California. (Never mind, that San Francisco’s weather is totally different and quite cool in the summer…) Even a song playing on the radio (probably a little transistor) was calling the country to head West.
San Francisco(Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)
When word got out what was happening, the news crews arrived…and so did the beginning of a social movement.

Now that I have you humming that song….remember it was the time of:
the commune,
free love,
love the one you’re with
the Vietnam War and President Lyndon Johnson
and saying hello to what had previously been seen as taboo. This culture wanted to be the counterculture.

Everything the “establishment” believed went out the window.

In June the Monterey Pop Festival featured the stars of the Love culture…the Byrds, Jefferson Airlplane, the Who, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and the Mamas and the Papas…to name a few. Hippies were it.

Time Magazine’s cover read: The Hippies: Philosophy of a Subculture.

After the hype…came some of the stark realities.

Turns out “free love” had a price to pay along the way.

Many died from drug and alcohol overdoses, or continue to have long term issues from what was once thought to be harmless mind-expanding experiences.

The institution and sanctity of marriage began to be called “just a piece of paper.”

People believed lies about marriage and family, and children were damaged in the process.

I recently went to Haight-Ashbury on a trip to San Francisco. Now the kids who hang out on the streets are mostly “goth.” They are still pan-handling for cash as the hippies before them did, and are often run aways who live on the street. Still, most people remember the 60’s and that time as Woodstock, good times and the era when we were free. Hippies are remembered with nostalgia and a warm and fuzzy feeling of a beautiful time gone by, especially as baby boomers deal with the reality of hitting their 60's in age instead of era!

In retrospect, Hippies have become tye-dyed t-shirts, love beads and mostly a cartoon.

But the Summer of Love did change something very precious: the intact family and how we view marriage. That’s something the hippies started that we could have done without. With 20 years of social science reasearch we now know there is a recipe for healthy marriages, and it’s not free love and self indulgence.

Is it time for a new Summer of Love called healthy marriages and relationships?

Is it time to counter the counter-culture drowning in a divorce rate that hovers at 50%?

Can we start a social movement right here in Wisconsin?

We’re about to make available a fantastic new guide called the Marriage Myth-Buster Guide. Everyone who reads it can become a card-carrying Marriage Champion and join our social movement. This movement believes that no generation has to be a statistic because there are resources and classes that empower everyone to control the quality of their relationships.

We want people to once again see marriage for what it is: a “gold standard” to aspire to, a respected, valued and sought-after institution. That "piece of paper" is incredibly important to the well-being of children and families.

Ready to join us? Get your guide by emailing: info@thinkmarriage.org

Let’s redefine a new Summer of Love.

Now that would be groovy!

Just wondering….
Any old hippies reading this? (Once a hippy, always a hippy at heart?)
Anyone at the summer of love in California or have memories of the time to share?
Thoughts on the NEW Summer of Love?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This brought some interesting memories and thoughts back. I do agree that this is a great time for a New Summer of Love. I believe prior to the first one, many people were looking for a change and now I think society is frustrated again with marriage. The divorce rate is staying put or even lowering, but one reason is fewer people are marrying. Why - dissolutionment. If we could believe in that healthy relationships were possible and knew what that looked like and there was support for that I think many would go for it and we'd have our New Summer of LOVE.

thinkmarriage.org said...

Dear anon,
Ok...you're in! That's one...more for the new Summer of Love?
Don't forget to send for your free Myth-Buster Marriage Guide at info@thinkmarriage.org

Now...do I hear two?

Anonymous said...

Well count me for two! As an old hippie,I also remember that one of the best things about that era was that we had hope. Hope for a better world, hope for peace and love,hope that we could make a difference. Sure some of it went the wrong way, but we were just kids.

Let's take that sense of hope into the New Summer of Love! It seems to be missing in many marriages and it's a vital element.

Boomergirl

thinkmarriage.org said...
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thinkmarriage.org said...

Dear Boomergirl!
Great to hear from you...and yes! It's all about the hope, isn't it? Now, if we can get all teh Boomers seeing the hope there is for our culture with intact families and people working on healthy relationships from wherever they are in life right now, we could change the world. I'm glad you're along for the ride! Keep blogging.

Anonymous said...

I vote for marriage and wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for your time and talent in being our spokesperson in a world that;s very confusing especially to our young people.

thinkmarriage.org said...
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thinkmarriage.org said...

The Foundation for a Great Marriage said...
Hello Anon,
You bring up a good point. Being a "mature" :) woman myself, (wait, maybe maturity has nothing to do with age, but that's another blog) it's hard to get into the mind of young people who only know the world as perfectly acceptable with rampant divorce and not growing up in intact families. I can partly see it through the eyes of my children, but I still have in my formative years the idea of not cohabitating and marriage being held in high esteem. Good point...something to ponder and thanks for bringing it up!

theciskekidsrblessings said...

I am a child of a baby boomer, so no, I was never a hippy... But I've studied it in College a bit and agree, the "love" was very misguided. I LOVE being married and hope to set a great example to this upcoming generation...
COUNT ME IN!

thinkmarriage.org said...

Dear zech-n-lily-r-blessings,
Thanks for throwing your hat in the ring! It's fantastic to hear you say you have the desire to set a great exanple to this upcoming generation...you are definately thinking marriage in a positive way! I would encourage you to "protect" your marriage by taking marriage education classes and inviting you friends along. There are great resources on our website too. Thanks for blogging and let us hear from you often!