Blah blah blah… Yet another boring meeting when the talk suddenly turned to dearth of young people at the CCCPO. I looked around the room; everyone was in his or her 50s or 60s. This got me thinking of a related but different question: Whatever happened to Consciousness III?

Charles A. Reich coined the term “Consciousness III” in his book The Greening of America to describe the youth of the 1960s. He argued that this generation was distinctly different from previous generations in that they not only care about the collective good but that they chose professions and lifestyles that reflected their values. Most of the people in the room exemplify this spirit, but I’m not sure I could say the same for their generation as a whole. After the 60s, everything seemed to return to the way it was before. Perhaps it was a reaction to the excesses of the 60s, to the end of the Vietnam War, or to the economic crisis of the 70s. Whatever the reason, America became much more conservative, and people worried more about practical things like jobs than ideals. It would be easy to dismiss Consciousness III as just a pipe dream if not for stirrings of the Green Revolution. Could today’s youth be Consciousness III or at least the spiritual heirs of Consciousness III? As a member of this generation, I am hopeful yet skeptical of such a proposal.

I’m skeptical because I know my peers. Youthful passion is easily inflamed yet notoriously short lived, and it does not necessarily lead to action. Brett Price, a friend and ardent environmentalist, went to the Northwest to “join his brethren” but came back embittered by the “fake environmentalists” he found there. Oh, they recycled and cleaned up trash in the parks, but they also drove instead of using mass transit, partied extravagantly, and guzzled electricity. Basically, they were interested in helping the environment so long as it didn’t interfere with their lifestyle. They did not live their beliefs; their consciousness was not changed. Until proven otherwise, the stereotype of my generation as hyper materialistic and “me first” is largely true.

No, I think that if Consciousness III exists today, it is a less demanding standard that is far more inclusive and ultimately more successful. People of different generations and professions are consciously moving toward the same goal. Scientists from many disciplines have united to build an undeniable case for global climate change and given us a sense of urgency as never before. The media has broadcast the message far and wide, and in the Information Age, news and ideas cannot easily be suppressed or controlled. Major corporations are moving toward greener production methods and business practices. Youthful entertainers, consumers, and businessmen still play a critical role by shaping popular culture, but what makes the Green Revolution so powerful is its broad spectrum of supporters. Such broad support means that the momentum cannot be easily stopped, and the government must eventually join in. This is not exactly the Consciousness III that Reich imagined, but it is arguably better.

Perhaps the 70s did not spell the end of a Consciousness III; rather, it laid the foundation for its present day emergence. Earth Day was first celebrated in the 1970s, and some of today’s top corporate executives and reporters remember the 60s. Though they have since become parts of the Machine, perhaps they recall their own age of idealism, and that makes them more willing to participate in today’s movement.

On the cover of The Greening of America, it reads, “There is a revolution coming. It will not be like revolutions of the past. It will originate with the individual and the culture, and it will change the political structure only as its final act. It will not require violence to succeed, and it cannot be successfully resisted by violence. This is the revolution of the new generation.”

I hope that we are witnessing the beginnings of Consciousness III and that I will live long enough to see this Greening of America!