Most of didn't 'get there' -- not even Joni Mitchell, who wrote the famous Woodstock anthem. Yet even though we didn't get there -- not to the festival, nor to all those idealistic goals we held, even the most stubborn would have to admit the world has changed in the last forty years, and the sort of folks who did go to Woodstock had a fair amount to do with those changes.
We dress much more casually than we used to, even for work. If you disagree, stop and consider the fact that people used to dress up to fly on a plane. Like, what's the point in ironing an outfit if you're going to spend the next four hours sitting in it? And those nifty little hats that women used to wear -- in many situations, because they were required to wear them? (I'm thinking of going to church. I remember having to bobbypin a tissue on my head so I could attend mass. Like, if God were actually there, he/she might care there wasn't something on my head?!) I'm not heartbroken over the relaxation of any of these restrictions.
But not everyone would agree that the changes have all been for the good. Drugs are more readily available now, and using them holds much less of a stigma; swearing has become more common, as we're not so afraid of all those old taboos; sexuality is more open -- gays can live their lives honestly, young women no longer have to 'go away' if they're unmarried and pregnant.
I, for one, am glad of most of these changes. Without the kind of thinking that brought about some of these changes, this morning probably wouldn't have seen me putting my kitchen scraps into our compost bin or my newspaper into a blue box. I may well add to this list as this commemorative weekend goes on. Then again, I may just go and bake up a batch of commemorative brownies.
Peace, man.
