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you're not really different after all.
No, you are no different from
earlier generations, except that you are
better informed and more insistent in
your demands for answers, and that's
all to your credit. But where are you
looking for those answers? Do you
really believe the answers to the big
questions you're asking are to be found
among the "pill-popping phi losophers,"
the "pot-smoking pundits," or the
"glue-sniffiog gurus"? Do you really
believe that shared ignorance plus
blown minds equals enlightenment?
Look, how can you get answers from
people who have more hang-ups than
you? That doesn't roake sense!
Time for a Change
You may not realize it, but this so–
called freethinking nonconformity, this
down-with-the-world thing has been
going on for a long, long time. There's
nothing new about it. From the Beat–
niks right after World War II to the
Hippies, Yippies, campus revolution–
aries,
~r
whatever is popular right now,
it's basically been the same phi losophy.
And next week they may come up with
another version. It's about like the old
saying, "Same song fourth verse, could
be better, but it's gonoa be worse !"
Yet for sorne strange reason, most
young people have been trying to work
out sorne kind of salvation that way for
the past twenty years. Well, it hasn't
worked; and unless we aii want to
admit
to
being slow learners, it ought to
be time for a change!
New Definitions N eeded
But a change to what? That's a tough
question for youth today, because most
of you have polarized and narrowed
your approach to life until there seems
to be only one route to go -
tsoo
away from society. It's as if you denied
the other 359° on the compass even
existed. You haven't left yourselves any
alternatives.
And too, you have accepted too many
distorted definitions.
Freedom,
for
example, is not racial segregation, job
discrimination, grinding poverty, or
police brutality. But, neither is it
an attitude of anarchy accompanied by
an unwashed body, shaggy hair, a stoned
mind, and a fi lthy mouth. Or, what
The
PLAIN TRUTH
about
/ove?
Of course love isn't the
hypocritical, selfishly motívated alms–
gíving and backscratching you have
observed in certain segments of our
"religio-politico-economic" society.
You're absolutely right! But, neither is
it sexual license, "flower power," and
free rock festivals. And then there's
suc–
c·ess.
We both know it isn't the accu–
mulation of wealth and power, but
surely it can't be the rejection of honest
labor in favor of panhandling and gar–
bage picking either!
Somewhere between these extremes
there has to be understandable and
acceptable middle ground - a balance.
That's what we all need to shoot for,
balance.
But it will require new defini–
tions. The old ones are too emotionally
loaded-too prejudiced and misleading.
Think for a moment. Is it possible
that success,
in the right sense,
may not
be a dirty word after all? Is it possible
that, properly understood, it might even
be worth a little effort to achieve? Yes,
you would have to admit that. Then,
can you begin to see what new hori–
zons might open up if you would hon–
estly and unemotionally analyze the
defioitions upon which you base your
values?
What do you want out of life any–
way? Have you ever taken time to put it
in simple words? Do you want good
health? Do you want a sharp, sound
mind? Do you want a stable, balanced
personality? Do you want to understand
the purpose of life? Do you want gen–
uine, lasting happiness? Of course you
do. You want all these things and more.
But unless you're one in a million, you
don't have them now. Why? The
answer is simple. You need the right
definítions.
Look, if you don't know what good
health is, how do you know whether the
way you're living is healthy? And if
you don't know what a balanced per–
sonality is, how do you know who to
follow as an example?
Somewhere you have to find reliable,
authoritative, and unchanging defini–
tions. Practica!, workable formulas.
Until you do, you will continue groping
around just living by tri al and error.
Unfortunately, those errors can
be
pain–
ful - would you bel ieve fatal?
"But," you may be asking, "in this
April-May, 1970
age of relativism can I find any reliable,
authoritative, unchanging definitions
and guidelines"? You certainly can!
lf
you are really serious and willing to put
forth sorne effort, you can make more
personal progress in the next three
months than you ever have bcfore. You
can
find the answers to the big ques–
tions that affect you. Here's how.
Set Summer Goals
The first thing to do is get organized.
Make a list of goals you intend to
achieve this summer. You can decide for
yourself what goals are personally
important, but here are a few sugges–
tions for a starter.
Number one:
Become an expe1'1 on
the big ismes of vital importance lo
society and the u·ofid.
Unless you are
very different from most teen-agcrs, you
want to develop maturity. Well, being
informed is one trait that marks a
mature person. Unfortunately, even
with all the mass media available, most
of us are sti ll poorly informed of what
is going on around us. For example,
what do you really know about pollu–
tion ? Why is it a problem? What forros
does it take? What are the major
causes? Is it only a problem in our
country? What do the experts predict
will occur if pollution is not checked?
What can be done about it?
Or, what do you really know about
the drug problem? Who is mainly
affectcd ? What are the most common
types of drugs? How do drugs affect
your body and mind? How is drug
abuse a social problem? What is being
done to control the problem?
And, there are many, many other
important issues that affect your life
such as crime, smoking, dating and mar–
riage, and the worldwide population
explosion.
Chances are, right now you know
very little about any of these problems,
and yet, do you realize sorne of them
actually affect the continued existence of
life on our planet? That in itself ought
to be reason enough to become
informed about them.
Number two:
Discover hott Jo
achieve Jme s11ccess
i11
life .
Right now
you have your own idea of what is suc–
cess. But, did you ever ask yourself
whe(e you got that idea or whether it is