Imagine Peace

Imagine Peace

This week Bermuda will celebrate the works of John Lennon.  The Double Fantasy Bermuda concert will give tribute to the former Beatle.  Even though I was only 12 years old when John Lennon was murdered, some of his songs I still listen to today. The song “Imagine” for me continues to be a very moving song, as I too have evolved in life.  But, when I began to read more about Mr. Lennon…I was a bit shocked to find out that he was not as peaceful as we all believed.

It is a diary form of writing. All that “I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved” was me.

I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically — any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn’t express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women. That is why I am always on about peace, you see. It is the most violent people who go for love and peace. Everything’s the opposite. But I sincerely believe in love and peace. I am not violent man who has learned not to be violent and regrets his violence.

I will have to be a lot older before I can face in public how I treated women as a youngster.

“Today I learned John Lennon was not as peaceful of a man as so many believe. He was physically violent toward women, and beat his first wife, Cynthia Lennon.”

“I used to be cruel to my woman I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved…Man I was mean but I’m changing my scene and I’m doing the best that I can.”
~ John Lennon

He wasn’t all love. He was human.

He could be unpleasant. He beat his first wife. He evolved. Mostly. He could be cruel to his sons.

And yet, he’s revered as a modern secular hippie peace loving saint.

Both can be true. We create idols, we put said idols on pedestals, only to knock them off and crush them. He never claimed to be perfect. His karma was inherited, and he did mostly good, wonderful, world-changing things with it.

He was well aware of his failings. He did his best, which was sometimes horrible, terrible, sad…and usually wonderful, something to be grateful for. He admitted his worse, singing about it in several songs (below). He was transparent—which is a kind of brave openness that helps to end a problem, a habitual pattern.

Moral of the story: humans change, evolve. Give peace a chance.

All we need is love?