I miss John Lennon. I think of him every December, but now; more than ever, I am reminded of him when I hear Sara McLaughlin sing his Christmas song, HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER). It makes me sway and reminds me of how much I miss John Lennon’s presence on earth. The back-up singers start with low voices “So this is Xmas” …with each stanza they sing louder and emotions build. Then John’s steady voice echoes “And so this is Xmas for weak and for strong, for the rich and the poor ones, the world is so wrong. And so happy Xmas for black and for white, for yellow and red ones, let’s stop all the fight”.
I grew up in the 60’s in North Carolina and The Beatles were never my favorite rock band. Me and a lot of Southern families thought those mop-tops from England were weird. We never got the hysteria. I vaguely remember my uncle wanting to cut their hair and then take them out behind the wood-shed where he would have proceeded to teach those “commies” a thing or two about being “real men”.
There may be people that still think that the Beatles, particularly John, were a threat to national security. To say that he was controversial is putting it mildly. J Edgar Hoover had a CIA file on John and wife Yoko and it is rumored that Hoover and his team of agents tracked John’s movements, if they had left this country they would have had a hard time reentering the U.S. But if you listen to his music and read about his actions, John Lennon was no threat to anything but war. He was serious about peace and love for all men, all races and all religions. In the 1970’s John Lennon contributed heavily to a fund to purchase bullet-proof vests for the finically strapped New York City Police Department. In 1969 John and wife Yoko paid for billboards In New York’s Time’s Square and throughout other cities that read:
War is Over ….If You Want It.
Merry Christmas, John and Yoko
On December 8, 1980 the world was shaken by the violent death of a most peace loving man. The first news of John Lennon’s murder came across TV during Monday Night Football when Howard Cosell announced to the world that John Lennon had been shot and killed. My thinking has come a long way since those days when so many of us judged people by the way they looked. The Vietnam War is over and The Berlin Wall is down. For a period of time it seemed that there was more peace than war. So what can we do? How can we as individuals make the world a peaceful place? There is an eastern philosophy that says that the collective consciousness of people makes things come true. If there is hate, the world will manifest itself in hate. If there is love and prayer, love and acceptance of all mankind, then love will eventually win out.
As we gather to celebrate Christmas, a season of love, let’s remember to tolerate those that we don’t understand and no matter what your religion or belief join in the prayers for peace on earth.
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Let’s hope it is a good one
Without any fear
War is over if you want it to be
War is over now…………John Lennon prior to his death on December 8, 1980