Loss of Leaders: Event in the 1960s that Influenced One's Life - Essay Example

? Loss of Leaders: Event in the 1960s that Influenced One’s Life Event in the 1960s that Influenced One’s Life As a 52 year old nurse, one’s recollection of the 1960s was actually a little vague, being born specifically within that era. However, as one relished childhood memories within that decade, there are still profound and vivid details that left a mark in one’s memory and have significantly influenced one’s life. The essay hereby aims to proffer how one event from the 1960s has influenced one’s personal life, the career choice, and the global community. The discourse would hereby discuss how one’s personal life would be different if one specific event of the 1960s had never occurred. The following concerns would be addressed, to wit: (1) how did that same event influence the course of study and the choice of career path? (2) How different would the world be if that same event had never occurred? Brief Backgrounder To enable a validated discussion of the era, a brief overview would reveal that there were marked social changes in the 1960s that influenced people’s lives. According to Goode (1970), “in the less than half a generation from 1960 to 1970, fundamental changes have taken place that will permanently alter the shape of history. The most important of these changes have been cultural, not technological” (Goode, 1970). From among the most noted significant developments during those times were: the first time man was able to reach and walk on the moon in 1969 (BBC, 1969); the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 22, 1963 (John F. Kennedy Assassinated, 2012); the famous and prolific use of illegal drugs (Goode, 1970); and the hippies (Time Magazine, 1967). The Event that Influenced One’s Life Since one has been about seven years of age by the time the hippies proliferated American society, their emergence was significant in terms of manifesting distinct characteristics and traits that exhibited unconventional behavior. At the article in Time Magazine (1967) aptly describes, an “observer sees them as "expatriates living on our shores but beyond our society." Historian Arnold Toynbee describes them as "a red warning light for the American way of life." For California's Bishop James Pike, they evoke the early Christians: "There is something about the temper and quality of these people, a gentleness, a quietness, an interest—something good." To their deeply worried parents throughout the country, they seem more like dangerously deluded dropouts, candidates for a very sound spanking and a cram course in civics” (Time Magazine, 1967, par. 1). In one’s personal contention, there was definitely a feeling of fear during the time one saw them. One had the impression that they were bad people from their physical attire, to their behavior and actions, to public display of revolt. The hippies are more detailedly described, to wit: “The hippies wanted a world based on peace, love, and happiness. They revolted against society, and abandoned traditional traditional customs, lifestyles, and society to form their own. Many times they lived together in small groups called communes, where they worked together and shared posessions. Sexual relations with members of these groups flowed freely, whenever there was a mutual attraction. They believed they should "go with the flow" rather than be uptight about sex like past generations were. Drugs were also very common with hippies, especially such drugs as LSD, marijuana, and hashish” (The Sixties, n.d., pars. 1 & 2). The comments heard from parents and elders confirmed one’s apprehension to empathize with the hippies advocacies that include their opposition of Americans to the Vietnam war. Further, the use of drugs and promiscuous sex further confirmed one’s fear. Influence on Career and Life Since one was immersed into persisent comments and observations on the potential dangers that drugs and promiscuous sex would do to the hippies and to those they significantly interact with, one’s choice of career therefore veered into health care through the nursing profession. One was initially intrigued by the hippies way of life and the factors that led them to revolt and change their physical appearance through donning fancy and outrightly colorful clothes and openly challenging power structures that run counter to their ideals of love, peace and freedon. For the intention of pursuing higher education to address health conditions that could be possibly influenced by the activities and behaviors of the hippies, one recognized that need to delve into nursing as the career. Where it not for the hippies, one could possibly pursue other professions such as a business administration degree or an education degree. These professions are more subdued in terms of governing responsibilities and tasks that focus on organizations, as well as products and services and do not require direct sevice to patients and health care. In this regard, if one pursued either of this career, one’s life would be significantly changed in terms of catering to a different breed of clientele with predominalty diverse needs and demands. The challenges, concerns and issues would also be different especially if one entered an large consumer organization, like Johnson & Johnson or Coca Cola where the responsibilities and tasks would focus on designing strategies that could develop core competencies in products to serve the customers’ needs. As validated by Domenico and Jones (2006), “women have increasingly become more involved in the workforce following World War II. Paid employment of women has shifted from primarily traditional female-oriented jobs to more non-traditional, and previously male-oriented careers” (Domenico & Jones, 2006, p. 1). However, since there is still the notion that nursing is a career for women, one pursued this profession considering the factors that were likewise validated by Domenico and Jones (2006): “career aspirations are influenced by factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, race, parents’ occupation and education level, and parental expectations” (Domenico & Jones, 2006, p. 1). Influence of the Event on the Global Community As shared in The Way of the Hippie (2001), their ideologies and philosophies were premised on the goals of peace, love and freedom and therefore, are basically universal in nature. According, Timothy Leary in the discourse The Politics of Ecstasy (1967) as cited averred that “being a hippie is a matter of accepting a universal belief system that transcends the social, political, and moral norms of any established structure, be it a class, church, or government. Each of these powerful institutions has it’s own agenda for controlling, even enslaving people. Each has to defend itself when threatened by real or imagined enemies. So we see though history a parade of endless conflicts with country vs. country, religion vs. religion, class vs. class. After millennia of war and strife, in which uncounted millions have suffered, we have yet to rise above our petty differences” (Hippy.com, 2001, par. 4). The contentions signify that this social group share the same universal goal of peace, love and freedom despite their unconventional ways and behavior. One could not expect to emulate their actions nor share the same beliefs, especially in terms of using illegal drugs and practicing free sex. As the world viewed their behavior and expressed diverse opinions on their way of life, their emergence during the 1960s still validate that they have significantly influenced people’s lives, particularly mine. Conclusion The essay successfully achieved its objective of presenting how one event from the 1960s, particularly the emergence of the hippies, has influenced one’s personal life, the career choice, and the global community. The discourse discussed how one’s personal life would have been different if the hippie movement did not exist at all. The same event influence the choice f one’s course of study in terms of realizing and recognizing the potential effects and repercussions that drugs and promiscuous sex would have afflicted those who joined the hippie movement. Despite one’s initial reaction of fear and the decision to be a mere observer to this social group, the realization that their influence on one’s choice of career proved to be beneficial and advantageous in the long run. References John F. Kennedy Assassinated. (2012). Retrieved February 7, 2012, from The History Channel Website: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-f-kennedy-assassinated BBC. (1969, July 21). 1969: Man Takes First Steps on the Moon. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/21/newsid_2635000/2635845.stm Domenico, D., & Jones, K. (2006). Career Aspirations of Women in the 20th Century. Journal of Career and Technical Education, Vol. 22. No. 2, 1-7. Goode, E. (1970). The Marijuana Smokers. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from The Psychedelic Library: http://www.psychedelic-library.org/mjsmokers1.htm Hippy.com. (2001). The Way of the Hippie. Retrieved Febuary 7, 2012, from http://www.hippy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9 The Sixties. (n.d.). The life of a hippie. Retrieved Febuary 7, 2012, from http://www.cedarville.edu/resource/education/schools/chca/othergrades/sixties/hippies.htm Time Magazine. (1967, July 7). Youth: The Hippies. Time Magazine. Read More