Sometimes I also feel dumb because I am a 21-year old girl in 2009 (once an 11-year old girl) and I never lived through that time. I never knew the Sixties, I've never come close to participating in a peace rally or movement, and this makes me feel like everything I want to express is illegitimate. I'm another one of millions of people, old and young, all over the world remembering John Lennon, remembering his message, etc. And then I think: isn't that the point? We often forget about our similarities, choosing to focus on negative differences and discriminating against cultures other than our own. Often, we are prejudiced against the very unique qualities that make our differences so wonderful. Can you imagine what life would be like without these differences?
When it comes down to it, a birthday is just a birthday and John Lennon was just another man fighting for peace. Everyone is born and dies in their own time and anyone can stand up for what is right... but, for some reason, John's words and music and actions have always stood out to me and have always inspired me to look at things in a new way, to live the right way, to realize that it's never too late for change. Bagism, the acorns, "War Is Over," cutting of hair, bed-ins, penetrating lyrics... art so distinct yet simple that it continues to reach people (who take the time to think about it) even today.
Sometimes I think people forget how easy it is to live peace, to live love. John and Yoko (and many others before them) always stressed that all you have to do is to "think peace, act peace, spread peace." Think the word "love" and direct it to someone in the form of an action. Give a hug or smile, write a letter (emails are okay too), pick up the phone, help people in any way you can. Never take life for granted and never take other peoples' lives for granted.
And so that is why I love John Lennon and Yoko Ono. That is why I want to remember him today.
Also, his sense of humor: "TWO VIRGINS: Wonsaponatime there were two Balloons called Jock and Yono. They were strictly in love-bound to happen in a million years. They were together man. Unfortunatimetable they seemed to have previous experience, which kept calling them one way oranother (you know howitis). But they battled on against overwhelming oddities, includo some of there beast friends. Being in love they cloong together even the more man but some of the poisonessmonster of outrated buslodedshithrowers did stick slightly and they occasionally had to resort to the dry cleaners. Luckily this did not kill them and they weren't banned from the olympic games. They lived hopefully ever after, and who could blame them."
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"You know, give peace a chance, not shoot people for peace. All we need is love. I believe it. It's damn hard, but I absolutely believe it. We're not the first to say, 'Imagine no countries' or 'Give Peace A Chance', but we're carrying that torch, like the Olympic torch, passing it from hand to hand, to each other, to each country, to each generation. That's our job." - John Lennon
"You know, this life is speeded up so much, and the whole world is getting tenser and tenser because things are just going so fast, you know, so it's so nice to slow down the rhythm of the whole world, just to make it peaceful." - Yoko Ono
This is a great little thing to look at also: http://www.imaginepeace.com/imaginepeace.html.
2 comments:
I think John Lennon would be happy to know he's passed that torch of peace and love to you (and so many others, too.) It doesn't matter that you never lived in the sixties. In the big scheme, so few people have. Peace and love is for all of us, and there is no greater ideal than to be love, consciously in every moment. Happy birthday John!
great post :)
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