Forty years ago, a miracle happened on a farm. The
Sixties Generation came together in a unified cosmic gathering
on a pasture in Bethel NY. I wasn't one of
them, but I was there in spirit.
It was mostly about music, but it wasn't just about the music. A
generation, coming of age, tried to wake up their
parents and grandparents from a zombie-like conformity.
The young showing the old how to live, how to feel, how to
be...not to settle for what was "expected"
of them.
I'm sure you've heard a description of the Woodstock
event as one in which hundreds of thousands of young
people came together in peace, harmony, and non-violence.
And that is true...that's exactly what did happen.
However, that summary is usually spun by the
mainstream media "conventional wisdom" as
an example of the naivete, and demise of the Sixties
Generation...but that's not what happened. Instead,
that Woodstock spirit left an imprint in the hearts and
minds of those who attended, and in some cases, in
those who weren't there...something they carried with them
into the lives they would lead in the coming decades.
That's what happened to me. I wasn't able to go to
Woodstock, but its contagious happiness and glory found a
willing 19 year old in 1969...so much to the point that I
feel like I was there. It's a feeling that is always
at the core of my being, even when things seem
terrible...polar opposites from the Woodstock Nation...I
can summon this good faith of peace, love and
understanding...and it's there...like a beacon in the
night...perpetually guiding me.
The cynics and naysayers think that the ideals of
Woodstock disappeared the day the festival was over.
How wrong they are. Many of those affected by the
harmony generated in those three days used that
energy in new ideas, innovations...to think globally
and act locally, influencing society no matter where in
the USA they lived. And that really was the whole
emphasis behind the Woodstock legacy...each person is
an individual, but everyone is part of a larger idea
for the greater good.
The good news is that those who carry the Woodstock
spirit are still very much alive, a group of aging
people unlike any other older generation to come before
it. They are still thriving, contributing to their
communities, and becoming mentors to those born years
after the bands left the stage at Yasgur's Farm.
Marc
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I am the author of "The Giant's Chair", a novel
for the Sixties Generation:
If you remember the Sixties...you WERE there. ;-)
