August 2026

by Eduardo del Buey

August 2026

“By the time we got to Woodstock, we were half a million strong, and everywhere there was song and celebration…”

Joni Mitchell

My last article, July 2026, describes the world of geopolitics as it has affected my life. It reads like a dystopian chronology that focuses exclusively on the political world without reference to the rich cultural and spiritual journey those of my generation have enjoyed for the past 74 years.

Many in my generation, the baby boomers, sought to change the ways of the world. We believed that change could occur through love and peace, by connecting to ourselves and each other, and by rejecting the confines that society had hitherto placed upon people.

We sought ways to connect with ourselves through ancient metaphysical teachings and philosophies, introspection and meditation, and drugs. We rejected the straight world of the post-war decade and sought something less restrictive and possibly more profound.

In short, we revolted against the mores of previous generations and, in many cases, adopted what may now in retrospect appear to be a naïve world view.

The elements that contributed to my life as a baby boomer began with the music and social revolution of the 1960’s.

The arrival of The Beatles in 1963 fueled the revolution.

They were not only the most creative and innovative band of the time but became a cultural tsunami that affected every part of our lives and made music the language of the boomers.

The Beatles’ love of India, its music, and its spiritual teachings and practices brought transcendental meditation into the mainstream of Western life.

Many subsequent Beatles songs featured the sitar, and George Harrison’s seminal album “All Things Must Pass” melded eastern spirituality and western music in a unique musical journey. Many musicians followed suit and began to explore spirituality and mysticism in their work.

This, in turn, wore down the pillars of traditional Western religions as many began to explore the divinity within themselves rather than in traditional scriptures or temples. Self-realization became the norm for many and set them free from religious dogma.

Through music and spirituality, many began to believe that we are all one, and that the gossamer threads that bind the universal consciousness are real (if this interests you, please check out my books “Achieving the Universal Consciousness” and “One Man’s Quest,” both available on Amazon).

Unfortunately, the world we sought could not exist given human nature and the militaristic and ideological pressures that proved impossible to change.

In my case, spirituality helped me create a bubble that I was able to use to shield me from much of the negativity of global developments and develop a safe space within myself. By doing so, I have been able to sustain my vision of the universe from then until now.

The leitmotif of the era was freedom, and music seemed to concentrate on the concept of personal liberation.

Indeed, the protest movements of the sixties, fueled by music, led to major civil rights legislation in the U.S. and anti-Vietnam War movements globally.

Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and others became some of the voices that echoed deeply at a time of political disruption and generational change in North America. Racial segregation was then the norm in most of the United States, and protest songs played a major role in sensitizing young people there to the injustices facing minorities.

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed major human rights legislation and voting rights legislation for all Americans. Musicians and singers backed Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders in this struggle for racial equality and provided the soundtrack to their efforts.

Music encouraged major social movements and provided frameworks for action by many.

Later in that decade, Woodstock brought over 500,000 people together at Yasgur’s Farm in upstate New York for a three-day music festival featuring most of the major artists of the time. Music brought together a generation in an ambiance of love and harmony.

This power of music was again evident in 1985 when the Live Aid concert had global musical figures come together to raise millions of dollars to alleviate famine in Africa.

Things changed in the seventies and eighties, as the very same boomer generation moved on and began to follow their parents’ lifestyle but without many of the positive values of civic responsibility, hard work and community. Their creed became, in the words of Gordon Gecko, “greed is good”.

The boomer generation gave way to its successors, each one different from ours.

Today, the world in which I came of age is merely a topic of nostalgia for many of my age – nostalgia for a time when we thought that all things seemed possible and we had hope of success. A time when the music of the day had depth and meaning. A time when hope made us dream impossible dreams.

Today’s generations live in a very different time – one which I struggle to understand. It’s a time of a technology-based industrial revolution causing overwhelming stress to societies everywhere when technology rules and spirituality is in decline. A time when leaders, politicians and people in general are struggling to figure out “where to go from here”. Where music is more noise than message in all this upheaval.

The boomer generation existed as an exploration of the human experience through creativity and introspection.

Many sought contact with their own souls and those of others rather than the superficial connections most of us have today. Looking back, it really was a simpler time.

Today we boomers can only reminisce and try to hang on to the best of those times. The soundtrack of the era serves as a survival mechanism and allows us to create the emotional bubbles that shelter our souls from a violent and chaotic world.

That is the past and present of my life as well as of those of my generation.

And sharing this vision of “Camelot” is the reason why I write – to share with my grandchildren and others a moment when hope seemed possible.