What Separates Hippies From Other People?

Have you ever been called a hippie? Or witnessed the name calling? I have and I can honestly say it wasn't a good feeling.

I fully embrace being a free spirit; I spend my days connecting with source through nature and have never really cared much for titles. I understand categories are an essential element for a culture and society to exist, but it doesn't mean I have to identify with them. However, for the sake of making this blog easy to follow, I will.

I wanted to understand why being called a hippie rubbed me the wrong way. To understand why this name calling bugged me, I first needed to understand why I was being called this. That's when the big question came to me:

What separates hippies from other people?

Lets define the word 'hippie'.

Google gives this definition: "a usually young person who rejects the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living) and advocates a nonviolent ethic. broadly : a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person."

Let's break this down:

1) Is choosing a nonviolent ethic rejecting established society?

2) Does having long hair make me 'unconventional'?

What do these things say about our culture and our cultures standards on physical appearance?

I find it strange that this definition points out age and physical features, as if being a hippie is a superficial lifestyle. It also claims that hippies reject society by dressing "unconventionally".

This is absurd for many reasons. The very definition is superficial, but I am not surprised considering the superficial society that created the search engine which produced this definition.

Personally, I know more individuals from older generations who are hippies; it's not most young people.

Hippies don't reject all societies, they reject American society for varies reasons. Hippies reject society in their hearts and minds, not in their clothes. Hippies dress the way they dress because they want to dress that way; to say the way we dress is unconventional is to say that we are stepping outside a standard for how we should be dressing (am I the only one who thinks that is weird? Or is that because I'm 'a hippie'?).

I do agree with one statement in this definition though: we do advocate for a nonviolent ethic.

As a hippie, I believe the proper and more ethical definition is as follows:

Hippie: A name or label used to define a person whos' philosophy in life is deeply rooted in love.

This makes me wonder, how do we define "other people" then? My thought process is this: If the definition of hippie is as I stated above, then by the nature of duality the definition of "other people" must be the opposite. The definition would look like this:

Other people: A name or label used to define people whos' philosophy in life is not deeply rooted in love.

Someone who doesn't identify with being a hippie may disagree and argue that just because they don't hug trees doesn't mean they don't love.

That may be true. The question is, how restricted is their love?

What does it mean to love?

Everyone has their ideology of it, but the foundation of love is appreciation and admiration for something or someone. Love does not belong to humanity; it is not only exchanged from human to human. You can love the sound of ocean waves, the color of the sunset, or the stillness of winter.

To restrict your love is to limit your humanity.

Reserving your love only for another human who "does something" for you doesn't make you honorable, it makes you miserable. And if I'm being blunt, which I'm known to do, it also makes you lazy, co-dependent, and you probably have attachment issues;

Trust me, I would know.

I have never understood the dismissive remark, "You're such a hippie!" What does it mean? What is actually being said?

What is being said is this: "I don't have the mental capacity, emotional depth and understanding, or self acceptance skills to relate to you." or "I don't care to obtain the mental capacity, emotional understanding, or self acceptance skills to relate to you."

If someone calls you a hippie, it's usually meant in a derogatory manner, whether or not it's aggressive. It's mostly people who are not hippies (aka, 'other people') who use that label.

It's derogatory because it's an avoidance. Labeling someone for expressing something rather than having a discussion about it, reveals an inability for complex emotional and critical thinking from the name caller.

Example:

I say to Susan: "I love the sound leaves produce when the wind rushes through them!"

Susan: "You're such a hippie.."

rather than,

I say to Susan: "I love the sound leaves produce when the wind rushes through them!"

Susan: "What is it about the sound that you love? I've always enjoyed the sound of rain."

Are 'other people' just narrow minded? Neurotypical? I am not saying there is anything wrong with 'other people'; I am simply stating the difference I have observed through personal experiences.

Hippie is also derogatory because it's dismissive; it's a way of shutting someone down because the name caller is perceiving the hippie as being "too much" or having "too much depth" or "thinking about it too much" or "thinking about it too deeply". All of these accusations are absurd.

The dismissal of being called a hippie is relative to the demonization of being called a witch; being a free thinker is a fast track to being an outcast.

which is cool, I'd rather be here anyway...

If you've ever been called a hippie after expressing deep compassion and understanding or even wisdom about your connection to earth, animals, and other humans, you probably felt a little "strange" or maybe even offended, like that person was brushing you off; they were.

If you don't go with the popular ideology of society, people think there is something wrong with you. They look at you dressed up in the fullest expression of who you are and gaze at you with disdain as if you are damaged goods. They look at your dirty feet and call you feral and demand you put shoes on (but any intelligent person knows rubber is an insulator, but I digress...).

It's not your fault that person is unaware of what they really are: A creator created in the image of the creator; a truly powerful being whose thoughts and words create vibrations that move the physical world around them; a being whose environment reflects what they are on the inside; a being who has the power to make their dreams come true if only they are willing to sacrifice and work hard.

There are a lot of industries whose success is built off creating extremely unhealthy standards for the public. The people who pursue a life meeting these standards disassociate, mostly and sometimes, completely from what life really is. Some people employ the lack of scientific evidence as justification they, and everyone else, are no more than mechanical meat suits completely separate from a dead earth.

What a fundamentally depressing perception of life, and if I'm being blunt, again, an indolent one.

There is very little in this life as magical as being surrounded by people who truly see you, people who are vulnerable with you, who allow love to lead their lives, people who allow their bodies to move freely and feel music and allow that music to tell an inner story about plights and where to go next. People who don't need to make a lot of noise to show you they appreciate you are a blessing to associate with. It is extremely validating to hear someone respond to you with, "wow, I love the way you see that", instead of trying to convince you to change the way you think.

Hippies have a grasp on the reality of what really matters in life. They understand the individualistic process of being human and everything that comes with it. Hippies understand your journey is your own, regardless who is around you. They are not overbearing; if you've ever met a hippie who was, you didn't meet a hippie, you met an 'other people' in disguise.

With love,

Celina Joan <3