I haven’t written since the election because there has certainly been almost too much to think about . There was once a myth that when elephants got old they would wander off to a special place to die known as the “Elephants Burial Ground”. There is supposedly this place stacked with carcasses and bones of old, dead elephants. In the last few years we have visited Ashville, North Carolina and have just returned from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Both cities are beautiful and have much to see, but their population seems to include a large group of older counter culture folks. In Ashville there were a lot of balding older men who had decided to grow ponytails. They would hang out in the many coffee shops and bookstores and generally seemed fairly affluent. I had a fancy that they were all retired stockbrokers who were trying to rediscover their youth and the Woodstock they had left behind. Santa Fe was different. The ponytails were older and looked tired. There is apparently a fairly large group of homeless there, but I even saw people working who looked like they had never given up on the “hippie lifestyle “ and were now paying a price.
If I think back to that time, we thought we could change the world. Vietnam was going on and the argument was that we had to stop the Communists there to protect the free world. When young people started to disagree with this, a whole new culture began to emerge. Peace/Love was the message of the day. Drugs did play a part and really began to erode that message, but the message of peace, love and mutual responsibility for each other continued.
This now seems to be ending. As I look around and see my generation wandering down to the burial ground I really wonder what will last. The election seemed like a fairly clear choice, but the choice that was made was really a surprise. I don’t think any one knows what will happen over the next few years, but the ideal of mutual responsibility is certainly gone. Everyone seems so angry. I have tried to distance myself from the news, but it is almost impossible. Every charge is met with a counter charge. Every accusation appears to cast the culprit as the worst sort of human being. No one listens. They all talk over each other. Moderate is now a dirty word.
When the campaign was going on it was somewhat frightening to hear one camp shouting, “Lock her up!!” and the other camp shouting “Abuser, Pervert!!” After the election Garrison Keillor wrote a column where he seemed to say that enough was enough. It was now time to step back, smell the roses,etc., and let other people worry about the future. I really wanted to try that but it seems almost impossible. My wife, God Bless her, is still furious and wants to march in the Women’s March in Chicago. I keep trying to say I don’t care and, as long as our new president doesn’t mess with Medicare or Social Security, it’s time to let go.
Yeah, but then this old 60’s stuff starts going thru my head again. Not the Peace/Love stuff, but the mutual responsibility ideal. I have heard both sides and one side still seems to be against most of what I believe in. There is going to be a concerted effort to take us back 15-20 years. All the campaign promises that gave life to some of the most “deplorable” parts of our society still resonate. The Klan and the Traditional Workers Party are both enjoying renewed popularity. The “elite’s” are now looked down on because they have an education and don’t really know what is going on. I think the only real action is to continue to stay aware and alert because this is still not just my country, but our country.
The old movie “The Big Chill” opens with a funeral. I always thought it would be cool to have a wake like that and to have Rolling Stones music played as I was wheeled out. Now I have a different image. I am thinking of the New Orleans Funeral Marches. On the way down all the music is somber, but on the way back it is joyful. I want joyful music and I want all those old elephant bones to rise up. It’s not time to rest yet, it’s still time to work !!!