Okay so how is it not like hippie

Okay so how is it not like hippie society? In my experience, hippie society is founded on healthy values such as respect, cooperation, yes, altruism and the betterment of mankind, and other good values that many outsiders seem to miss such as responsibility, giving back, respect for self, other, and community (and environment), etc. There don't seem to me to be "threats of dire punishments" to keep people in line in hippie societies. That sounds more like "babylon", to me. Do as I say or the man with the gun will lock you away. Positive social pressures tend to be used. And negative ones. If you are a user, your hippie friends are smart and will figure you out. You will find yourself effectively ostracized if you are simply a selfish individual. But even then love and understanding tend to play a part in how such people are dealt with. Such are seen as simply needing help in their spiritual development. They are still children, who are seen as needing proper nuturing. Modern society, aka "babylon", is seen as the sickness and such people as a symptom of the broken paradigm. Hippie values are not "silly". Though silliness is valued, and rightfully so! And most are well aware that living in perfect harmony is not necessarily realistic or even perhaps desirable. Yes, we strive toward harmony and peaceful co-existence. But it is for most a spiritual life and it is recognized that strife and adversity are sometimes to be welcomed as important teachers in our spiritual development. The "black and white" polarized thinking is really more of a babylon thing to my mind. Reality doesn't work like that. If you really understood hippie society, you would know that it does promote both cooperation and individuality. Creativity and invention are highly valued and actively supported in the community. Likewise, openness and transparency. Many hippies prefer to work out their issues in open consensus circles, which are designed for exactly that purpose.

Speaking of FOSS's open and transparent process, the article says, "The upside is you have the potential of attracting more help and feedback than you could ever get any other way. It can sting a the ego a bit to receive patches, corrections, and suggestions from people you never heard of, and perhaps not worded in a soothing manner. But if you can accept these things as gifts, you will be rich in help, new knowledge, new friends, and genuine achievements. And, good work is recognized, so you'll likely get some ego strokes after all." Now take out the word "patches" and replace it with something like "assistance" or "support" and you have a good description of how much of hippie society actually works.

Manners matter in hippie society as well. This paragraph from the article sounds very much like real, living hippie society. "I think you'll encounter more passion in the FOSS world because all of its participants are self-selected. They're doing work that they care about, and it's far more personal than being a cog in some corporate sweatshop; it's more like being an artist, a writer, or any kind of artist or skilled craftsperson. Again, both a strength and a liability; people who care work harder and are continually pushing the boundaries, but the emotions are also more intense. Manners matter, which is why I keep nattering on the subject. A little courtesy, a little tolerance, and a bit of thinking-before-speaking go a long way." Hippies are often very passionate about their projects, to an extent that so-called "normal" people can't fathom. Take Julia Butterfly tree-sitting for well over 200 days in the old-growth tree known as Luna. Whether you agree with her cause or not, you cannot deny her commitment and passion. In hippie society you will often find self-selected leaders who are in their positions because of their commitment and passion. And much like the FOSS movement, it is a meritocracy. Those with the determination focalize around a project or issue, and make it their own. Yet, they only have support if they are making a positive contribution. Just like in a poorly led FOSS project, a hippie activity will find it's own replacements for leadership roles when the need becomes apparent. Or poor projects will be abandoned - as they should be.

I love FOSS on many levles. And you seem to understand much of how FOSS society works. But please, if you wish to compare or contrast it to some other form of society, it would do you well to research your topic and truly understand what you are talking about. If you actually had more than a superficial understanding of hippie society you might find yourself struck by how similar the two actually are.

Peace through understanding,
Tim