The next generation...
Pipe smoking is the oldest form of smoking dating back thousands of years.
At 37yrs old I have the luxury of experiencing the pre and post internet world and am pondering (while smoking a bowl of course) if I am destined to experience the pre and post tobacco world.
Thinking is now for computers and contemplation is a luxury that requires time that no one seems to have anymore. The pipe (for me anyway)tends to reign in that time and allow for a brief decompression from the light speed pace this modern life is lived. It is a wonderful source of stress relief and has granted me the foresight to make changes in both my financial positions as well as affecting personal decisions in a positive light.
I guess my point is we all see the benefits of using tobacco (as have many for thousands of years past) and recognize the risks associated but there is no champion for the cause.
Obviously I am not referring to cigarettes as I am not even sure how much tobacco they still put in those things.
How do we pass the torch to the next generation if tobacco is demonized at every level?
Part of me feels humans are losing the contemplative mindset and that trying to save the pipe is like trying to win a battle while your losing the war.
I think I might open a smoking lounge.
At 37yrs old I have the luxury of experiencing the pre and post internet world and am pondering (while smoking a bowl of course) if I am destined to experience the pre and post tobacco world.
Thinking is now for computers and contemplation is a luxury that requires time that no one seems to have anymore. The pipe (for me anyway)tends to reign in that time and allow for a brief decompression from the light speed pace this modern life is lived. It is a wonderful source of stress relief and has granted me the foresight to make changes in both my financial positions as well as affecting personal decisions in a positive light.
I guess my point is we all see the benefits of using tobacco (as have many for thousands of years past) and recognize the risks associated but there is no champion for the cause.
Obviously I am not referring to cigarettes as I am not even sure how much tobacco they still put in those things.
How do we pass the torch to the next generation if tobacco is demonized at every level?
Part of me feels humans are losing the contemplative mindset and that trying to save the pipe is like trying to win a battle while your losing the war.
I think I might open a smoking lounge.
Comments
Unfortunately it's going to take something other than a Father or Grandfather passing on the tradition of pipe smoking from one generation to another. For the most part carrying on family traditions in this day is about as unique as a triple rainbow. Age old traditions have stopped dead in their tracks in many instances. As a Sicilian, family gatherings at my Grandparent's house for Sunday dinner was a common practice. If you didn't show up people assumed you were in a car accident on the way there or in jail. But today you can consider yourself fortunate if families can get together for the Christmas holidays. People are either holding down two or more jobs to make ends meet, or simply too wrapped up in their own lives to make the continuation of family traditions a priority.
Trendsetters will dictate whether pipe smoking gains mass acceptance more so than tradition. It's going to take some trendsetter or nationwide fad to cause the younger generation to pick-up and pipe and begin smoking - a popular movie or TV series, musician, or influential celebrity.
A perfect example of my trendsetter theory is this current revival of the horned rim glasses - the thicker the frame the better. Once only worn by those who couldn't afford a pair of less noticeable and stylish wire rim glasses or contact lenses - they are now experiencing somewhat of a revival. The series MAD MEN brought the horned rim glasses back into vogue. And the retro look took hold and became a symbol of the counter culture. Where once kids were ridiculed and bullied as "four eyes" for wearing thick plastic rimmed glasses - now you'll find kids part of the hipster, emo, punk, and indie counter-culture wearing the horn rimmed glasses without prescription lenses as a fashion statement. I'm not sure who was the first trendsetting celebrity that garnered the attention of the lemming followers ... but it would take someone with that kind of trend setting clout to be seen in public with a pipe jutting from their well chiseled jaw, or voluptuous lips to make pipe smoking acceptable and popular to a younger generation once more.