Found this photo the
other day; it took me by surprise!
It also took me back fifty years…
Look at all those shells!
It must have been the
1960s – in my hippie days, when Vietnam was raging, the civil rights movement
was on the rise, and I was idealistic enough to believe that my generation
could put an end to all that horrific injustice and inequality by embracing
values of love and peace, of inclusiveness and acceptance.
Just look at it!
A peace sign (for those of you not old enough to remember that symbol).
I had a pair of Peace earrings that I wore occasionally – they were too
heavy to wear every day; I gave an old boyfriend a silver Peace medallion – he wore
it around his neck on a silver chain; when I was living on the farm, we had a Jersey
cow so sweet and gentle that we riveted a leather Peace sign to her collar –
when she died, we nailed it (collar and all) to a maple in the eastern tree
line where she used to stand in the shade on hot summer days.
As I said, I was
idealistic then.
But not any more.
I’m older now, a shade wiser, and I
understand that everything I have fought for in the last fifty years is on very
shaky ground.
I am struggling to maintain my balance in a country I cannot recognize
as my own, a country where the ideals of equality, justice, and working for the
common good have been abandoned to sustain the financial and personal gain of
the very few.
It’s an empty place,
an empty shell.
Resist.
Oh my gosh - I still have the peace symbol necklace I wore back in the 60s. :) I also still have the 'dog tags' we had to wear on a chain around our necks as school children in the 50s during the 'Cold War' - "Drop & Cover" days. Your last few words are sadly truer than ever these days, but I'm trying hard not to lose hope!
ReplyDeleteUp here in Maine, we didn't have the "dog tag" phenomenon that you seemed to have...but I do remember being fingerprinted at school! I remember Drop & Cover, too (as if that would do any good!). And yes, there's hope. Always...
DeletePeace signs made a comeback along with tie-dye. My 10-yr "bonus granddaughter" (do you like that new term? surely more positive than "step") loves anything with a peace sign.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad to hear this! Those ever-lovin' peace signs were a badge of membership!
DeleteI am still very optimistic, and idealistic, but working my butt off to be a Resister, and now a Persister has been added to my list - each little step to keep working toward what I believe in. I find being around like-minded people boosts my spirits when I feel like tearing my hair out. I bought a tie-dyed shirt last year too! At my age!
ReplyDeleteGood for you on ALL levels: resiter, persister, tie-dyer! And me, too!
DeleteI like the Persister tag. It's what gives force to the ocean, power to the winds, and energy to numbers. Though now a cliche, the Peace Sign was once an effective symbol for positive change. And positive always overcomes negative.
ReplyDeleteWe are certainly hoping that's true, Mike! Thanks for those hopeful thoughts!
DeleteAs the Beatles famously sang, 'all we are saying, is give peace a chance'. We can only hope! No point depressing ourselves with all the bad news.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Jo -- but we must stay informed (not depressed)! There's a balance somewhere in there, and I'm well on my way to finding it!
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