To What Extent Can We Learn From The 1960s

I believe that the most important lesson that we can learn from the past is how to avoid making mistakes that were made back then. I use the word ‘we’ very vaguely, as ‘we’ can represent an individual, a community, a country or even all of mankind. Through lessons which our forefathers learnt the hard way, we’ve learnt not to repeat. For example, I know that its probably not a great idea to stick my hand in fire as I would get burnt, but some poor fellow thousands of years ago probably learnt that lesson the hard way and passed it down since then. Similarly, the 1960s were a historic era; it was time of counterculture revolution, experimentation, the emergence of expressionism and sex for reasons other than pro-creation. The 60s taught us lessons; created and paved a path for what we now call the 21st century.

I find it so fascinating and intriguing to believe there was a period in history where those who really believed in what they stood for, were willing to go against the all controlling government, risking jail time, or even death to see the change they hoped for. This legacy has bled into the decades that followed it, right into the 21st century, where even now, everyday there are sit-in and protests; people fighting for the change they believe in. I feel like the Occupy Movement of 2011-2012 is a great example of how the counterculture revolution bled into the 21st century. People, from different walks of life, with different background and stories, came together, in more that 900 cities world wide for one reason: to protest against the 1%, the filthy rich, who control everything. We have learnt from history, we have learnt that without standing up for what we believe in, change isn’t