[Buddha-l] Obituary: The Age of Aquarius

[Richard P. Hayes]

Just in case there was any lingering doubt that the bracing idealism of
the 1960s (most of which actually occurred in the 1970s) is dead, the
following headline should be proof positive that the Age of Aquarius
that dawned in the sixties has dimmed and died.

BOB DYLAN TO RELEASE ALBUM THROUGH STARBUCKS
Music legend Bob Dylan has signed a deal to release an upcoming live
album exclusively through the Starbucks chain of coffee shops.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/06/28/Arts/dylan050628.html

The times are no longer changin'. Now, not even the president of the
United States sometimes has to stand naked. 

What else can we expect to bear on the news? That the resurrected
Grateful Dead will be giving a benefit concert to help raise money for
the management of Wal-Mart? That Robert Redford has agreed to go on the
campaign trail for Tom DeLay? That Noam Chomsky has written a book
denouncing the Palestinians and begging Ariel Sharon to bulldoze the
town of Bethlehem to make way for a Noah's ark theme park managed by
Chassidim? That Ralph Nader is going to launch a lawsuit against Linux
for cutting into Microsoft profits? That Jack Kerouac was an undercover
agent for the CIA? That Sgt Pepper was sexually abusing the members of
the lonely hearts club? That in fact you won't still need me and won't
still feed me when I'm sixty-four?

It's easy to see without lookin' too far that not much is really sacred.
Dylan indeed! I think Mr Zimmerman should be required to give his
pseudonym back, the one he admits to having stolen from Dylan Thomas,
and be placed in house arrest in Hibbing, Minnesota.

Now I need to go drown my sorrows in a cup of herbal tea and ease the
shock by doing a session of geriatric yoga. And then I'm going to light
two sticks of incense on my Buddhist altar, one in front of Amitabha and
the other in front of the picture of Che Guevara. God only knows whether
I'll ever be able to write another message to buddha-l.   

Starbucks coffee is made with cockroach piss, you know.

-- 
Richard Hayes
http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes