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Occasionally, in the-desert of wars and deaths and fires and strikes in the newspapers, one comes across something that is like a cool (kink of water.I had that experience this very morning. The story concerned Gene MacLellan. The name won't be familiar to most of my square old readers, but will be to my younger ones, if I have any.Macliellan is a Canadian song-writer who has made it big in the music world. One of his songs. Snowbird, became a million-record seller for singer Anne Murray. Thai led to a wave of sang successes, which in Uim led to an avalanche of royalty cheques.Well, dear reader, and you’d better take a deep breath at this point, McLellan is quitting. No. he hasn't broken his guitar arm. He hasn’t had a heart attack. He hasn't had a shattering emotional experience. He is dropping out because he Is making too much money and does not want the pressure of responsibilities it caused.He is giving up his Interest In a company set up to handle his affairs, and has asked that (he royalties be used In pvt to help young performers.He has abandoned the farm he boqeht in P.E.I., and given away most of his possessions. He and his wife left with ro definite plans, “probably iq hitchhike through Europe.Canadian Press quotes MacLeUan; “I don't know what I’Ll do. I don't know when or if I'll come back.Isn’t that a refreshing little story? I envy him, and many others caught In the material treadmill will too. I'm sure.Of course, I'm not naive enough to compare him to Diogenes, who lived In a barrel and owned nothing but a drinking bowl. Some of those royalties will still find their way into MacUUan’a pocket, and he won't be begging in the streets.BillSmiley f'But I admire a man, or woman, who can turn his or her back on the whole thing and walk away.More and more of our young people are do mg it. Dome for the worst of reasons, some for the best.Some opt out because they’ve decided to let George do it. They deliberately become bums, have no scruples whatever about begging, stealing, accepting welfare. They are dirty, promiscuous, malodorous and blasphemous. But often highly intelligent.On the other side of the coin are the yoizig people who get off the boat for different reasons. At some point they take a ckar-eyed look at their parents, at the lives they themselves are living, and decide, “This is not for me.”This second group tends to be Idealistic. They, want to create. They want to make a life-style that doesn’t depend on status and the buck. They will work extremely hard for something they think is worth doing. They're almost invariably gentle, tolerant and reasonably dean. They are not bums, but seekers after something they danh see in our society. They use the same four-letter words the other group uses, but unscif-oonsdously. They are not blasphemous, but in a strange way, religious.Friends of ours have a son, Mike. His parents despaired of him. He hod a fantastic I.Q., but kept flunking in high school because he was bored silly. Never did finish school. Bummed around, worked quite a bit, quit. Then he became a Bahai. He is at present pioneering the faith, as (hey call it. at Baker Ijake in flic North-west Territories, among the Eskimos.He’s happy, working hard, and wonts to get some more schooling so that he can go buck and teach Eskimo children. His parents are proud of him.Here was a lad, charming, witty, handsome. He had every opportunity to go to university, and would have mode a mark in society. He chose otherwise, but may be making a bigger mark, in the long run.Our own son has done pretty much the same sort of thing. He too, if you'll pardon it, u charming, witty and handsome. He has a great musical talent. He Is highly intelligent. After a couple of goes at university, he quit. He had his wild times and bad limes. Now he too is a Bahai. He doen t have a degree, but he con talk rings around most university professors. In French or English.He works at a tough job, second chef in a restaurant, to support himself. He had a chance to be a bar-tender for more money, bit serving liquor is against his principles. He planned to go to Frobisher to pioneer the faith. Then be thought there were enough missionaries” there and made a deliberate decision to attempt to spread the faith in the east end of Montreal.I can’t see much future in trying to convert to Bahai any substantial number of French-Canadian Catholics. But Hugh has a peace and serenity and a simplicity of life that one can only envy. He doesn’t want any things”, just enough to keep alive and keep covered. I wish I were twenty years younger.
Newspaper Details
Halton Hills Acton Free Press
Halton Hills, Ontario, CA
Wed, Jun 28, 1972
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Catherine M.
CA 13 Nov 2023
Other Publications Near Halton Hills, Ontario
Halton Hills Acton Free Press
