F*cking hippies!

I've spent the weekend, and the week before that, (and the month before that...) working on pulling together a Gathering. A Gathering of the hippie underground, the Rainbow Warriors. The idea originated in America in the 60's (what didn't?) and since then the annual American Rainbow Gathering has grown in numbers to the point that there are tens of thousands of people involved. Here in South Africa there were 5 of us committed to making it happen. Each with their own agenda. Five people, trying to find their way to some kind of consensus regarding community and neccessary action...

The initial Rainbow vision was created as a reaction against the blatant hedonism going down in hippy America. A few outstanding people decided against drugs, chose family and community instead, and so it grew. In South Africa if you mention a Gathering of the tribes, where marijuana is expressly discouraged, and kids are welcomed, you get a whole lot of blank stares. And nasty comments...

I guess the S.A. scene is just not ready for any cohesive action.

Turned out to be a great party. About a hundred people at the height of it (once the electronic music began) and lots of kiddies everywhere. But I didn't work my ass of to create a safe space for people to get stoned in. You can lead a horse to the water, but ya can't make him drink!

So, after weeks of effort and careful planning, I ended up spending the weekend at home, and popping in occasionally to check that things were running smoothly. Today I must go back again to help with all the packing away, picking up all the litter that the stoned hippies left lying in the sacred ground of an enchanted forest....

What I have learnt from all this is that community starts with two people, and then maybe grows to three, over the years perhaps a fourth person joins... and so on. There is no instant community fix. And even if we all smoke the herb together it don't make us family.