Well, guess what people? It isn't and we aren't.

History may prove me wrong, but I don’t think we’re running the world as well as our parents did. Our parents saw certain issues in black and white a lot more than we do. Our parents were closed-minded and wrong about a lot of things, but at least they had some kind of moral compass. Because we are still stung by their intolerance of certain issues, as parents many of us suffer from the malaise of being afraid to be wrong. We are so afraid of doing the incorrect thing; so afraid of offending - that we do the worst thing we can possibly do for our kids – nothing.

I went to a drug workshop with my daughter not long ago, which had separate segments for kids and parents. The parents in attendance, some of whom I know used to get high (or still do), were debating whether to tell their kids about their experiences from the old days. They were speaking in hushed tones about seeing kids out in back of the high school smoking pot… like it's some big surprise! It's been going on for the past 30 years and probably longer. I imagine that some of these parents were the very same kids who were out there circa 1975 with their Power Hitters and BuzzBees.

Somewhere along the way "Wild Child Hippie Girl" grew up to be "Soccer Mom," and that’s okay. We all get older, and hopefully wiser. Every grown person who's "been there done that" started out as a kid who didn't know better. You can't be 45 and party like you used to when you were 25; either your life implodes or you die. Some of us have to find that out the hard way. At some point you have to settle down and make peace with the kid within you who is still 17 and wild. For some of us it's an uneasy truce.

Maybe it would be better if we decided not to keep up appearances and told our kids the truth. Maybe we should tell our kids that YES we've been there and YES we've done that and YES drugs are a road to destruction. That there are a lot of brothers and sisters who have been damaged, or aren’t around at all any more. I think back on all the people I’ve known in my life who were somehow hurt by drugs - the ones who are a lesser version of their former selves; the ones who went to jail; the ones who died.

It is a long, sad list of casualties; especially to those of us who are rock and rollers. Look at our role models! Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Keith Moon, Janis Joplin, John Bonham – some of the greatest rock musicians of their day - all claimed by substance abuse. More are joining the list all the time. How long do you think it’ll be before they find Scott Weiland in an alley someplace?

Call me a traitor to the spirit of rock and roll if you like. Call me a boring old fart, but I don’t advocate the use of hard drugs. There, I’ve said it. I guess I can’t be cool anymore. Nevertheless, I am sick and tired of otherwise responsible people who smoke pot being tarred with the same brush as people who smoke crack and shoot heroin. There should be enough people in positions of influence in the media and government who are able to make the distinction by now. I have to wonder when we’re going to stop making criminals of the people who do. Of course, it’s not politically correct to say that because somehow people have forgotten that they smoked it with no ill effects.

When I was younger I believed in "I hope I die before I get old." Now that I’m middle-aged (only by the grace of God), I am glad I got here today. I don’t expect our kids to learn from our mistakes but can we at least be honest about having been there so we can help them when they do?

Peace, man.

Originally Submitted to Goldport.com 1999

Last Updated 12.9.04