The Ram Dass Legacy

Few people recognize the name Richard Alpert. Even fewer people realize that Richard Alpert is actually the birth name of Baba Ram Dass. The aforementioned name was given to Alpert as he traveled around India in the late 1960s. Baba Ram Dass, translated as the "servant of God," preached a message that was ubiquitous around the world during the 1960s: "be here now." The message of Alpert's 1971 book, Be Here Now, taught the world's youth to be conscious of their surroundings and to live life in the present. Although Be Here Now was written almost 40 years ago, its message is still pertinent to today's youth. With a widespread economic crisis gripping the world, it is important for us to live in the now. We can't worry about what the future holds. If we become too consumed with the future, we will miss the small things in life that make us happy.