The Peace Sign

Today I was driving in my jeep with the top down. Wearing my red bandanna and groovy sun glasses, I cruised flying high on an over pass. As I came down the ramp, I felt like I defined freedom. I wanted to throw my hands straight up in the air like I was on a ride at an amusement park, for safety sake, instead I let a primal scream soar up to the blue sky filled with billowing white clouds.

The young man in the car behind me roared past me with his moon roof open. He must have felt it too, freedom. He stretched one hand high trough the open roof and gave me the peace sign. Ah, a kindred spirit I thought, smiling bright, I extended my left hand high waving "Peace" to my brother then I laughed uncontrollably.

According to Wikipedia,the Peace sign or the "V" sign,or the “victory sign,” is a hand gesture with the index and middle fingers open and all others closed. It was used as a sign for victory during the Second World War by Winston Churchill, originally with palm inwards; Churchill switched to palm outwards later in the war, possibly because the insulting meaning of the palm inwards version had been explained to him.

This was then developed into a peace sign during protests in the USA against the Vietnam War (and subsequent anti-war protests), and was taken up by North American counterculture as a sign of peace. Because the hippies of the day often flashed this sign while vocalizing “Peace”, it became popularly known through association as the peace sign, and is used similarly today."

Flashing that antiquated victory sign made me extremely happy. It is unusual, almost a miracle to be in traffic in South Florida and find your self happy. Peace out to all!