Going to Seed

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This unforgettable firsthand account explores the rise of the hippie movement in the late 1960s, its decline by the 1980s, and its lasting impact on progressive reform. Simon Fairlie, rejecting conventional life, dropped out of Cambridge University to seek his own path, hitchhiking to Istanbul and cycling through India. He established a commune in France, faced multiple arrests for squatting and civil disobedience, and became a prominent figure in protests against the British government's road-building initiatives in the 1980s. Over fifty years, Fairlie's journey reflects his pursuit of self-sufficiency, freedom, authenticity, and a deep connection to the land. Raised in a middle-class household with a predetermined path toward journalism, his life transformed when he encountered London's counterculture. Embracing Beat poetry, blues music, cannabis, and anti-Vietnam War protests, he sought liberation instead of following in his father's footsteps. Fairlie's experiences as a laborer, stonemason, farmer, and writer reveal both the joys and painful costs of his quest for freedom, including estrangement from family and financial insecurity. This narrative challenges the current trajectory of Western progress, marked by consumerism, inequality, and environmental degradation, prompting readers to consider alternative paths for the future.