The Impact and Legacy of John Lennon
By Len Ellis
December 8, 2023
43 years ago Tuesday, December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his Upper West Side apartment. The senseless shooting is no less repulsive today than it was then, even in light of all the mass shootings that have occurred over the past 40+ years.
Over the years, when I am reminded of John Lennon, I have to ask – what would the world be like today had he lived? I want to believe it would indeed be a more peaceful planet, at least a more peaceful USA. One cannot underestimate the impact of the thoughts, ideas, and philosophy of Lennon, which eventually was put into words, words that we all could hear and take inside, words that interact with our very being, words that lodge into our brains, into our soul.
Just as words of violence can bring about actions of violence, words of peace can create a space for nonviolence, or in the Gandhian principal of Ahimsa, “a state of the heart which has no enemies.”
Can you imagine a world of no enemies? No perceived reason to harm, let alone kill, another human being? I know John Lennon could, and did. Just look at the words to “Imagine”, key phrases extracted here:
Nothing to kill or die for
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people:
-Living for today,
-Living life in peace,
-Sharing all the world
And the world will live as one
John took his imagination to the next step – he put into words and actions these principles – and we can do the same – our thoughts become our words become our actions. Yet we must go beyond this, we must set an example, teach our children from the moment they are born, how to respect and love one another, how to get along with our brothers and sisters. Yes, we will have conflicts – conflicts are a necessary part of life, but conflicts do not have to be violent! There is always a way to resolve conflict in a nonviolent way – ALWAYS.
I truly believe John Lennon would be leading us today to help eliminate the gun violence we are seeing today. Not by calling for more gun control, but calling for more understanding and tolerance and love for all humanity. He would be writing songs and making public appearances that promoted peace. He would be taking every opportunity to be in the public view, being a model for peace, and most important, asking each and every one of us to do likewise. He would be promoting practices such as Nonviolent Communications (NVC) and Heart Math and Conscious Connections (formerly BePeace). He would be putting his words into actions. And what beautiful words they are.
I invite you to sit quietly, take John Lennon’s words into your head and your heart, and ask yourself “what can I do to make my life one of peace? What can I do to be a model for peace?” And when you get the answer, go forth into the world and show others what is possible. This is how we will create a peaceful planet. Lao Tzu, some 2500 years ago, said it this way:
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”
And John Lennon reminded us in his own way. Go forth and promote peace, create peace, become peace. It isn’t hard to do.