These are exciting times to be alive, just like the Sixties

I have gadgets, MP3, Internet, Laptop, Digital Camera, HDTV and i am miserable and AWAKE!!!!!

I have managed to have seen the light even though i have toys!!!

Nope. Gotta be something else- maybe the water.

reply to post by dgtempe


Well you have risin' to guru swami status then!!!

"most" even with this technology, refuse to use it to look beyond their own desktops.

It's much more reassuring to go to TMZ.com or paris hilton.com and be safe in the knowledge that rhianna will be alright after being beat up...

Thank you, i knew

there was something new and fresh about me.

Swami sounds good.

reply to post by Hx3_1963


You are right. Technology has turned us lazy.

We send emails instead of flooding the mailrooms of our Representatives. We rant about our government in forums now, instead of protesting in front of City Hall.

I agree with you completely on the "Imaginary Wealth" comment. I have told my husband for years that most people were living on "funny money".

At any rate, to the OP. Yes, it is exciting. I want some sort of cosmic reset, or a spiritual global awakening in my lifetime. I tell the kiddos I work with that we certainly live in interesting times. And I'll always take interesting over boring. I'd rather it be something I can survive, of course, but interesting means that something is going to change, and something sure needs to change.

Global economic collapse, a 2012 type event, a fleet of alien ships, whether real or government funded. I'll take just about anything, if it means we won't be doing the same thing 20 years from now.

Whats so exiting about losing a job and a house and all your belongings?
I cant see anything exiting about that.

Originally posted by dgtempe
Flower child here.
the 60's were NOTHING like we have going down today. I havent read the whole thread and i wont waste my time. No offense.

Another 60's hippie right here, and although I have read the thread, I really have to echo DGTempe's sentiment.

The sixties were nothing like what we have today. The songs I see being quoted are really taken out of cultural context and are being interpreted in a weird way.

We were (and are) a well-educated generation, and musicians were reading Kerouac and McKenna and Kant and Jung. Coffeehouses were not a place for expensive coffee, but places where readers and writers and poets and thinkers met. We were becoming aware of cultural injustices in our own society (Native Americans, Blacks, Hispanics, women) and were marching and demonstrating in large numbers. A group making noises on the Internet is no comparison to the marches on Selma.

I remember when NASA employees were addicted to the first Star Trek... and I remember the first Trek conventions. I remember standing outside and learning the constellations so that I could watch our satellites overhead. I remember when the world stopped to watch the Moon missions.

I remember when our heroes were scientists.

I remember when our sports heroes were upright ethical men and when no team would keep scumbags no matter how well they played.

You have no concept what danger the world was in -- but I was sitting in the middle of Germany when the Berlin Wall went up and we were probably a few hours from World War 3. I remember the sounds of troops being deployed to the field, marching without singing their "jodies" and tanks and halftracks shuddering the buildings as they were sent away from the bases to positions where they could defend against a strike. I remember how worried the West Germans were.

I remember visiting Berlin and seeing buildings still in ruins from the war 20 years before.

I remember war before Mei Lai. I remember Watts burning. I remember the murder of the civil rights workers and church bombings that killed children. I remember having to room with two Black women because otherwise our choir members couldn't be invited to stay with White church members.

I remember the art and the poetry and the coffeehouse circuits (I was part of that.) I remember fighting for the right for legal and safe abortions for women. I remember when women were killed and beaten and their husbands went scott free.

I remember "Laugh In" and "Batman" (the original) and "campy" things.

I remember when Black children were beaten and bullied into giving their lunch money to Whites. I remember when women only got half the wage that a man got for the same amount of work and skill.

And I remember us fighting to change all that.

What's going on now is peanuts compared to sitting in Germany and watching your dad leave, knowing there was a very good chance that if someone shot there would be an atomic bomb landing in the Army Base where you lived within half an hour.

Originally posted by MoonMine
OK, then let´s talk seriously for a moment.

You are basically saying that we will all go down in flames and everyone is going to run for the hills.

I am saying that in the worst of times the best will come out of people in the sense of community & support.

For argument´s sake let´s say tomorrow all your credit cards are no longer valid, you have no longer access to your bankaccount and you are out of a job.

Now, if it were just you...Bad. But imagine it is just the sam for everyone around you? The initial reaction would be to panic, riots, every man for himself, food looting and general lawnessless. But I guarantee you that within days communities will form (I will start my own) that will plant vegetables, build waterfilters from tubes filled with sand, etc. etc.

Small communities that will survive by helping its members to survive.

Thats not naive, that just practical thinking given the alternative is to starve and die in the road like a stray dog...

If you see someone less off will you help? Strength in numbers...

Let´s not forget there are a lot of communities already, a glimpse of who will do quite well in hard times you can catch over on the Survivalist forum right here on ATS. Hunting, farming, building. It is not hard if you are forced to & hunger is a very good advisor which will make you learn and build rather quickly, especially if your children start dying of malnutrition...

The looting and survival of the fittest will pass quickly and will be replaced by a community spirit. Really. So do not worry and try to remain positive.

Politics and big government should and probably will go, they don´t work anyway.

Nothing wrong with going back to nature and some honest work. It will do a lot of us a wholelotta good.

I really like what you are saying here. I see it as if it's going to happen it's going to happen. I'm fairly confident that I could survive. I know how to fish, hunt and grow veggies (thanks to my daddio). I'd like to help my neighbor survive than watch him starve. Thank you for the positive vibe I think you're emmiting in all this inevitable doom and gloom.

[edit on 22-2-2009 by sugarmonkey]

Originally posted by dgtempe
I have gadgets, MP3, Internet, Laptop, Digital Camera, HDTV and i am miserable and AWAKE!!!!!

I have managed to have seen the light even though i have toys!!!

Nope. Gotta be something else- maybe the water.

You don't have enough Good Toys. I have Legos and robots and miniature crossbows (for shooting marshmallows) and a Furby and robots and dinosaurs and places to go and adventures to have.

You need better toys!

reply to post by Byrd

Edit: off topic but...

Toys...I remember those...

real wooden trucks...before tonka...
robots made from beer cans out of japan...that spun and the chest would open with sparks flying out...
windup cars...(see above)
Lincoln Logs...
Tinker Toys...
Erector Sets...
whirley bird helicopters...

Just to name a few...

[edit on 2/22/2009 by Hx3_1963]

Originally posted by Byrd

Another 60's hippie right here, and although I have read the thread, I really have to echo DGTempe's sentiment.

What's going on now is peanuts compared to sitting in Germany and watching your dad leave, knowing there was a very good chance that if someone shot there would be an atomic bomb landing in the Army Base where you lived within half an hour.

Not exactly an echo of my post, and i am very sorry for what you went through. I myself was traumatized by the bombings at the Bay of Pigs and much closer to Havana than history tells us. But i disagree with you. Never ever have we been in a totally hopeless situation like this one, IMO, of course.
I dont recall the family having any worries as far as work, paying the mortgage, not knowing when the shoe was going to drop...maybe i was oblivious because i was young. My timeline i speak of is between 1962-69.

[edit on 22-2-2009 by dgtempe]

reply to post by Byrd

You dont know how good i am with a B B gun. The best!!! I also have the bow and arrows.

And im GOOD.

Oh and dolls.

[edit on 22-2-2009 by dgtempe]

"Nothing to fear but fear itself"
Tough it out and stay positive.
This is not the Civil War or bubonic plague.

Exciting times. Yes indeed.

It's an unfortunate truth that to many on this board, the 'coolest' thing that could happen is a killer asteroid, a NWO taker, a killer disease, a massive volcano, and so on.

It's what spurs many ridiculous ideas, and promotes support of ridiculous fear-mongering ideas. It's sort of a sad thing, I don't really understand it myself. I guess the chance to finally use your bob, to say 'told you so!,' to trumpet your own horns.. it's probably several things.

It's why many posts that proclaim "Well, here comes the end!" are followed up with . It's sort of sad imo. I privately hope that it's an effect of a conspiracy board, and not a human mindset, but I don't think this is the case. It's why people in my office can't wait for a massive snowstorm, or some tragedy to strike. It's exciting! It's different! It's a break from the humdrum droll of every day life! It's... sort of depressing.

It's the reason people ignite new fires to already existing deadly ones. A tragedy isn't enough. It has to be a tragedy for the ages. It's depressing imo.

[edit on 22-2-2009 by fleabit]

reply to post by fleabit


Guess we'll be wavin', as we leave you in the putrid crumbling metros, on our way out with our BOB's...good luck with that!!!


[edit on 2/22/2009 by Hx3_1963]

reply to post by MoonMine


dude or dudette, the 60's were not all that geat, also that was the boomer generation, and thanks to them we are sooo screwed up..

all the pc. and bleading heart bs. came from that generation... thanks buttheads, gee why don't we relive it and do it all over again...

Originally posted by Hx3_1963
reply to post by fleabit

 

Guess we'll be wavin', as we leave you in the putrid crumbling metros, on our way out with our BOB's...good luck with that!!!

[edit on 2/22/2009 by Hx3_1963]

Yes, I suppose so. I'm sure you, like many, thrive on the possibility of tragedy, despair, and horror. I choose not to.

I hope you have to wait a very long time indeed, before you have to resort to your emergency contingency plans.

Sorry I'm late getting to this thread, I was picking flowers to insert in the muzzles of the rifles the soldiers will be pointing at me, if I try to protest in the street!

I'd say I'm kinda between moonmine, trying to see positive change, and gottago, harshing out true factual reality.

I really like Byrd's post. I relate most personally with his. As a little boy in the 60's, I remember families torn apart by tragic deaths of sons in Vietnam, and seeing helicopters and dead soldiers on TV. It changed the way we played. We went from: "Hide & Seek" . . .to "Seek & Destroy". And from "Gum & Blowing Bubbles" . . .to "Guns & Blowing away the enemy". ( A terrible influence ) then, because of the truth; and now, because of the lies!

And the older kids use of Sandoz's '___' then; to their use of Eli Lilly's Prozac today. The former sought freedom for the mind, while the latter seems to seek control of it.

I rode a public bus to & from my Catholic school back then, and the bus driver kindly put us white kids in the front, while angrily forcing the black kids to the rear...I was horrified, but didn't dare speak out.

Going to the park with my Indian Guides Troop to earn merit badges was sometimes interrupted by sudden rushes of cops chasing the long-haired hippies out. I was horrified, but couldn't possibly speak out.

All this time past, lucky to be alive myself, having witnessed a surreal transformation of the U.S. from a proud nation full of friendly patriots, to a nation of very angry & concerned & worried patriots. And how I can finally speak out, here on the internet about my thoughts!

Oh, and the music- Pink Floyd's "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" kinda scared me when I first heard it; now it only frightens me!

The most Important thing you'll never read

The Creature from Jekyll Island
www.financialsense.com...

[edit on 2/22/2009 by Hx3_1963]

I don't think it's so much exciting as necessary. Nothing really seems to work in the present day, and no I'm not talking about a mobile phone or a car. Aggregated incomes and colossal companies making huge sums of monies from a society that, given the current climate, will to large degree collapse and these companies I'm talking about aren't necessary then they collapse. Mobile phones, investment banking, insurances The void their collapse in the employment of the globe will be almost impossible to fill.

...however.........

I was interested to see what Richard Branson had to say about it all. He said that billions of dollars issued to US carmakers could have funded a revolution in the industry, setting up electric car producers.

"If they are going to spend that sort of money, do it to try to tackle climate change and start afresh."

There is one of our 'new' leaders. We need more Branson's in this world. Yes I know that he is a capitalist, how else to you accumulate vast wealth? But appears to have an honest concern for the world's future.

its not that exciting yet, so far a bunch of banksters have looted big time, economy is quickly going down the tubes, unemployment is rising fast,
but......so far most contrys are agreeing to not go into a state of protectionism. & also europe is so far managing to remain europe.
but the world remains on the brink of total collapse & with all bailouts not working & the global economy remains in a nosedive & america printing lots of money, things will continue to worsen.
in my opinion if 1 or 2 countrys pull out of the europe then other countrys will have no choice but to enforce protectionism in there own countrys, if this were to happen things will worsen rather quickly into major riots & mahem over resorces.
if american bailouts continue to not work & only continue to make the american public angry then who knows, trade relations between usa & chine may disolve into some thing very ugly like war !!!.
im not sure if ide relate the current times to the 60`s in any way, & maybe the 1930`s will be seen as a mild depression in a few years time ?.
beyond that there are large areas of europe that have had multicurturism forced on them by there own governments & the eu dictatorship, this has a real posibility of erupting into race riots & religous wars.
add these major problems to the posible way out of a depression being war,
& with over 6 billion people on the planet with global collapse, yeah ide say theres a real posibility that from the end of 2009 things could start getting exciting as you put it, 2010 will for sure be interesting if your not in the wrong place.
weather this current gobal collapse will improve the current quality of music remains to be seen, but realy can todays music get any worse ??