Hippie Culture 2022: Same Spirit New Era

It is 2022, a ways from the birth of the 1960’s hippie movement. Which began as a counterculture that objected to the war, violence, and injustice that was happening in the U.S. and the message took off worldwide. Their message was one of love, peace, empathy, and unity. The hippies were passionate; they stood for something. And it wasn’t just about marijuana, psychedelics, free love, and music festivals. It was about a belief in the power of the human spirit and the potential for a better way to be.

The hippie movement has a lot to do with ethics and thought. As opposed to drugs, government resistance, or civil disobedience, as portrayed by the mainstream media. Hippies have a strong inner sense of what it means to be alive, what it means to be free, what it means to be kind, and they treasure that. Their goal was, is, and always will be peace.

Commune

Known for their idealist Utopian values, many hippies adopted a communal style of living. Which is making its way back into our modern-day culture in various settings, such as restaurants, spas, transportation, and living arrangements.

Due to the increasingly inflated costs of housing, transportation, and childcare, many modern-day hippies are choosing to live in shared homes. They share the housework, meal preparation, child and pet care, and of course the bills. This reduces stress, knowing that basic survival needs will be met and you have a support system. This accounts for a happier, healthier life.

Activism

Hippies have a passion for making the world a better, more peaceful, loving place. In order to have more light, work must be done to destroy darkness. Hippies have been calling ‘em out for decades. And they are still actively standing up for the people, the planet, and the right to live in peace and harmony.

Environmental activism, equal rights, and social justice are still fierce topics amongst today’s modern-day hippies. Taking a passionate stand for the change that is pregnant in their heart of hearts.

Cannabis

OK, maybe there is a small affiliation between hippies and cannabis. However, with the legalization of medical marijuana throughout 36 states and recreational marijuana throughout 18 states, the stigma is finally starting to lift. Hippies are having their “I told you so” day!

Cannabis is approved for the treatment of several conditions such as cancer, MS, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, glaucoma, mental health disorders, chronic pain, and more. What’s better yet, the potential for adverse reactions is extremely minimal. To this day, there has not been one death attributed solely to the use of the cannabis plant. Millions have found benefits.

Self-Expression

Hippies, like other subcultures, had an artistic component. Flowers in their hair, flowing gypsy-ish clothing, VW buses decked out with brightly colored psychedelic pop art. Although there are much fewer flower crowns worn and VW buses driven these days, free-spirited hippies still twirl whimsically through society.

Big festivals like Burning Man and Bonnaroo are platforms for major self-expression. As well as thousands of smaller, more localized events including ecstatic dance parties, raves, cosmic sky-event gatherings, festivals featuring flame throwers, hula hoops, aerial artists, and all kinds of creatives.

Hippies help people to accept themselves, by accepting them, and vice versa. It is a beautiful exchange of energy. People need a place where they can feel free to be themselves. No pressure, no judgment; just be you. We love you.

Music

Hippies love their music. In fact, many modern hippies listen to classic psychedelic hippie bands from the sixties, such as Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc.

Artists like Phish, Leftover Salmon, Medicine for the People, Yonder Mountain String Band, etc. have kept the new age hippies movin’ and groovin’. Hippies love jam bands and banjos! Bluegrass, reggae, psychedelic, funk, and Americana folk are all components of modern hippie music.

Record stores are also alive and well in 2022. Independent record stores are like little hippie dens frequented by people who love talking about music. Hippies love the raw nostalgic sound quality of vinyl.

Thrift

Hippies take no shame in shopping second-hand. In fact, they love it! For one, you can get cool, high-quality vintage items for a great deal. For two, you’re helping to save the environment from further despair. Fast fashion and other quick snap-and-build unsustainable crap-quality items are being pumped out of factories, contributing to 10% carbon emissions. But what's-more-so, is that most of these items will soon break and end up in the garbage, and where does that go? Hippies are conscious of their consumer decisions and take environmental responsibility seriously.

Nature

It’s no secret that the love for the land is still emphasized amongst modern hippie circles. Hippies are invested in organic farming and eating locally, to increase their health and reduce their carbon footprint. They believe the earth offers the best of what is needed, nutritionally and medicinally.

Permaculture, which is essentially a holistic, back-to-the-land, sustainable approach to living in harmony with nature, is what many modern hippies are into today. Permaculture ideates that food, energy, shelter, and other needs be met ecologically, sustainably, and locally without stripping the earth of her resources. This is taking green living to a whole new level.

Conclusion

Hippies still have a profound place in modern culture, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Free-spirited, heart-centered, and passionate, hippies promote a more loving, conscious way of living, in peace and harmony with all living things. There is always room for more love, peace and tolerance in the world.