Former Vegan Hippie Friend I Couldn't Understand

[Fire Star]

I recently had a hippie friend who, surprisingly, was into Transformers as well. Like a lot of hippies, he didn't have a regular job and told me he didn't like to work. That part didn't bother me so much as what he told me regarding work. He told me it was slavery. Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but I felt like I was being insulted. I felt like telling him, "Well if you think work is so bad, who will clean schools, deliver your mail, etc." I'd like to see how hippie happy he would remain if all of a sudden his mail stopped being delivered. I felt like telling him, "So are you calling me a slave because I hold down a regular job that is doing something useful and valuable? What would happen if schools quit being cleaned? The Board Of Health would shut them all down and bye bye education then!" Of course he told me he was low on money alot. I felf like telling him that maybe a regular job would help. But I think he would have taken that the wrong way. I always have plenty, which I should have shoved in his face to counter is "work is slavery" attitude. But then again, I don't define myself by the money I have. I wasn't going to stoop to his level.

But this is what I really couldn't understand about him. Like so many modern hippies, he is a vegan. One of the reasons he is a vegan is because he believes it is wrong to kill animals for food. OK. But when I was talking to him one day, he at first admitted had no problem with wanting to date a married woman. I told him how would he feel if he was married to her and she was cheating on him. He responded saying that that probabely isn't right. But their wasn't a lot of strength in his voice as if he really meant it. And he told me he has no problem with dating more than one woman at a time, though most women prefer their man to date only them. Wait a minute! He feels it is wrong to kill animals for food, but has no problem dating a married woman and seeing more than one woman at a time? Not too long after that, he quit calling me. I left a few messages on his answering service, including my phone number, just in case he lost it. He never returned the calls. Oh well. It's probabely for the best. I actually liked him at first. I was attracted to him, but wanted to be patient and see. I was also content just being his friend for the time being. But I've learned an important lesson: always get to know someone first. Despite all we have in common, I think it would be a mistake now. He sounds like he has tendencies to cheat on women. And combine that with his lack of desire to hold down a regular job...well you're talking a recipe for major disaster. Let's say things became serious between him and I. Let's say we eventually rented an apartment together. I can just see it now. He's off cheating on me and can't/won't help pitch in for the rent, because, due to not having a job, he has no money. Oh great! Just what I need. No, it's best he doesn't want to call me anymore and our friendship has ended.

[yamis]

ah, jobs. its so hard to find any down here!
my last job i worked on a 200' cruise ship back home. allow me to explain my typical day: show up at 8, start work at 8:15, clean the boat (while having a few cups of coffee, a nice breakfast from raiding some fridges, and a nap or two if we were sneaky) until about 10:30, stand around for an hour while people get on, untie the boat, go for a 2 1/2 hour cruise, doing ANYTHING i wanted to do (sleep, eat, play king of the world, have a little fun with the female passengers, have even more fun at the bars) get off for a break around 2:45, come back at 5:45, quick clean, board people for another hour, another cruise, clean everything up real fast, outta there by nine. paid for a 13 hour day for 3 hours of work. god, i loved working there.

my boat (http://www.lakegeorgesteamboat.com/sacrement.html)

[SAJse]

Originally posted by Fire Star
I recently had a hippie friend who, surprisingly, was into Transformers as well. Like a lot of hippies, he didn't have a regular job and told me he didn't like to work. That part didn't bother me so much as what he told me regarding work. He told me it was slavery. Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but I felt like I was being insulted. I felt like telling him, "Well if you think work is so bad, who will clean schools, deliver your mail, etc." I'd like to see how hippie happy he would remain if all of a sudden his mail stopped being delivered. I felt like telling him, "So are you calling me a slave because I hold down a regular job that is doing something useful and valuable? What would happen if schools quit being cleaned? The Board Of Health would shut them all down and bye bye education then!" Of course he told me he was low on money alot. I felf like telling him that maybe a regular job would help. But I think he would have taken that the wrong way. I always have plenty, which I should have shoved in his face to counter is "work is slavery" attitude. But then again, I don't define myself by the money I have. I wasn't going to stoop to his level.
You should have said all those things while you had the chance. The guy needs a wake up call (this would include slapping).

As for his views on dating and seeing married women. Well that's his decision, but he will probably die a smelly old lonely hippy (likely in a squat of some kind).

[Wonkimus_Major]

I have a friend like that. He was an ESL teacher and he got fired because he talked about politics all the time and never taught grammar or anything--he got too many complaints!

Now he's living with his parents (and is almost 40!)

[Fire Star]

Originally posted by SAJse
You should have said all those things while you had the chance. The guy needs a wake up call (this would include slapping).

As for his views on dating and seeing married women. Well that's his decision, but he will probably die a smelly old lonely hippy (likely in a squat of some kind).

You're right. I should have. I was afraid, especially because at that point I liked him. But I shouldn't have let my feelings for him interfer with telling him the right thing. I did so regarding his wanting to go out with a married woman. But I don't think that did much. So if I told him anything else, it probabely would have gone in one ear and out the other.

I think the guy's problem is that he never had a strong male role model or a female one for that matter. His parents were divorced. He told me that his mother would turn up the music really loud to get everyone out of the house so she could spend time with all her guy friends. Of course neither did I, so maybe that's not an excuse.

What kind of upsetted me is the one day I came over to his place to give him something. I had three little crystals: an amethyst, a herkimer diamond (not a diamond, but a type of quartz crystal), and a little meteorite. They were not crystals I wanted, but, for some reason, I thought they would help him. I don't know if they did or not. But I don't regret giving him those crystals. After all, it was my choice. But what really upsetted me is that when I got to his house, he wouldn't bother to at least get off the couch and open the door for me. Instead, there he was on the couch curled up in his pink blanket watching the news. And it wasn't a cold day. He told me just to open the door myself. Maybe I'm being a bit too sensitive, but I thought this was kind of rude. I was taught that if you have guests that are coming over, you should at least open the door for them out of politeness. And the only time he got off that couch was when he had to go to the bathroom.

It may be that one of the reasons why he's not talking to me anymore is also because I am not a vegan. I don't know. He is and one day asked me if I was and what I thought of it. I decided to give him an honest answer. I told him I was not and don't think humans were designed to eat just plants. I told him that if we were, we wouldn't need vitamin B-12, which is found only in meat, cheese, dairy, and eggs. But I explained to him that I still try to eat healthy. I just add meat to my diet. He may have not liked that answer. I don't know. He thought that veganism was the greatest thing in the world. But, in my opinion, he did not look too healthy. He has what appears to be premature wrinkles on his face. Of course maybe he was out in the sun too much. He doesn't have the muscle tone a guy his stature should have, even if he doesn't exercise. And he doesn't have much of an energy level. He frequently has to stop and take naps, where as I can just keep on going. Maybe a friend of mine is right. Maybe the reason why so many vegans can't work is because they are too sick to do so.

[Wonkimus_Major]

Originally posted by Danbei
Most vegan hippies are into Transformers that look like Beachcomber! Hippies,at the split second they start staring into Beachcomber's face!They end up marveling at it for hours ,and hours! Many of them have said it's an electrifying groovy psychedelic Jimmy Hendrix kind of experience! Some of them have even mistaken him for Jimmy! Kind of a letting down there, cause they wanted to hear him sing Purple Haze!:( Especially with the free admission and all! The place was so full, it looked like a hippie 1960's like Woodstock! No kidding!

True story. Once I was wearing a TF shirt on the bus, and this aging hippie came up to me and said he loved TF's. I asked him who his favorite character was and he said "The old ancient guy." I asked if it was Alpha Trion. It wasn't. After talking a bit I determined he was talking about Omega Supreme.