Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis,

"Times change, and we change with them"

I address you today not as the Machiavellian but rather as a non conformist. One who wishes that time would stop. One who preferred to be born in a different era, when the mind was free to roam, and our trains of thought were unique, and immaculate.

Here's a quote from James Morrison - no not that one, James 'Lizard King' Morrison aka Jim Morrison - of the Doors

'The Negroes in the forest brightly feathered
They are saying, "Forget the night.
Live with us in forests of azure.
Out here on the perimeter there are no stars
Out here we is stoned - immaculate."

Listen to this, and I'll tell you 'bout the heartache
I'll tell you 'bout the heartache and the lose of God
I'll tell you 'bout the hopeless night
The meager food for souls forgot
I'll tell you 'bout the maiden with wrought iron soul

I'll tell you this
No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn '

In recent times, I have failed in my valiant attempts to forge an identity for the generation that I am present in. the 90s and the 00's. the 10's and 20's shall continue with dull repetitive routines as we look back in time at the 60's, 70's and 80's as defining moments in the history of mankind. The 60s brought on an era post WWII, where a well defined group of nations reigned supreme, an era when the Empires were dwindling away and the many leaders that would later become legends and fill up the many blank pages in World History fought for independence. They had with them the charisma, the vibrancy, the vigour, the exceptional wanting/need/lust to be in a group that thought along no preset rails. A group in which trains of thought were being laid out in front of them, refusing to conform to the routines of life. The discovery of recreational drugs - be it with a potential for abuse, was first initiated during these times. ENIAC- the world's first big ass computer was invented around this era. But this generation would best be remembered for being the pioneering batch of rock n roll. A form of music so different it led on to the 'immaculate' era of the 70s. We shall discuss that era in a moment.
The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds, Cream, Johnny Cash, Dylan, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, LED Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Deep Purple, Santana, Sonny and Cher, and countless others acts revolutionized the music industry. An era so filled with creative brilliance- the Clint Eastwood series - A fistful of dollars, A few dollars more and The Good the Bad and The Ugly, were released. Psycho, to kill a mockingbird.


A generation of nonconformists were also protesting the Vietnam war across streets all over the world, a time when University students from Berkley and other prestigious institutions left their books aside and chose to take the it to the streets to make their views count. The era when worlds like socialism, communism and anarchy crept into gatherings of thousands of people wanting to break traditions and change the course of history. The greatest orator of all time, JFK was assassinated. The most compelling speech of all time "I Have A Dream" was uttered for its very first time by Martin Luther King, Che Guevara's allegience to Castro turned sour resulting in his death and his emasculation as the face of counterculture till this very day. The first Diva- Marilyn Monroe was at the prime of her day. Malcolm X and Charles Manson laid foundation stones in both their respective fields - Blaxploitation and Black nationalism as well as Sociopathic serial murders by the latter.
In an amazing end to the 70's Nixon was appointed President of the United States, Churchill passed on, Lennon Said - "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I do not know what will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity...We're more popular than Jesus now" - which was to be his most damning statement as Mark Chapman cited that as the primary reason for ending his life. Yoko Ono tore the Beatles apart, England (finally after all that crappy history of theirs) won the world cup.

10 years back then seemed like such an eventful time, with so many great minds and fists - Frazier vs Ali. And yet all it took was a small nudge and break in the implanted mindset tailor-made by the authorities back then. An era when nonconformists detailed the beauty of uniqueness and the downside of ubiquity.
I had this conversation with a fellow medical student who brushed aside this topic saying that people then had 'nothing better to do'. And when I informed him Che Guevara was a fellow medical student as well, he was stunned.

I know some are licking their lips uttering the phrase conspiracy theorist but i finally think 'they' have won. The same 'they' Steven Hyde refers to, those that determine culture. those that oppose counterculture, the oppressors of free spirit. be it the government, politicians, music industry, religious ministers and health professionals have influenced us to such an extent we think it is forbidden to repeat the events of the 60s for fear of death. We are merely ants in a glass container. ( for the health professionals bit- how many of you out there eat multivitamins just because companies market them as essential without knowing that an average meal contains sufficient enough of nutrients to support daily life). CHomping down placebo like multivites and purchasing patented drugs like panadol instead of plain PCM (paracetamol) have become issues so unnoticed that we commit these actions without realizing how much our thoughts have been influenced by culture.

As for myself, I am wondering if I was born in an era where history was only meant to be studied and not made. the pointless wars like the iraq and afganistan wars are proof of bullying by big brother and hoodwinking by those who deem to be the frontiersmen in Intelligence. Sleep well tonight o' fellow readers. Shall you wake up tomorrow realising even your sleep cycle is not in your control anymore, as we sacrifice more and more for less and less. We sleep less and work harder - to 'improve quality of our life' by working to the brink of exhaustion. Quality indeed. We currently live in a generation when monetary gains shall never suffice, and the timid obscure members of society are abundant.