I’m going to date myself. When I was in college, in the late 80s, The Grateful Dead were having their second hey day. People were sick of hard-core punk and were ready for an acid flashback and some Quaaludes. This meant too many bongs and tie dies on campus owned by neuvo hippies with hacky sacks and little pouches with crystals in them.

I never really got the crystal thing but their owner’s swore they were creating good energy for the people who wore them. Maybe they did, and they only reason they got busted for dope dealing was the negative energy the dancing-bear bumper stickers on the back of their VW buses were sending the cops.

There were other hippie types though that weren’t just going to Dead show’s expecting positive vibes simply for showing up with the right clothes. Instead of putting faith in crystals, they got involved with causes they believed in, art or helping others. For them, the hippie thing was more than an excuse to smoke pot.

20 years later, the positive hippies are still doing things like fighting for social just or helping teach children with disabilities and not finishing up their latest detox like their poser counterparts.

They have all now abandoned their crystals for iPhones and along with half of the corporations on earth are now attempting to use social media to bring good energy into their auras.

Just like strapping a crystal necklace around your neck, expecting social media to passively bring good energy your way is a silly idea. Social media hates posers. But embracing the positive aspects of social media and being active in the culture in an intelligent way can bring positive change over time. Just don’t ignore you karma.

Posted on: February 19, 2010, by : Jimmy Gilmore