IN THE NAME OF PEACE

Today is the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's assassination, and although I don't like celebrating assassination dates (personally I'd prefer to remember his birthday or when he first arrived on the music scene), I felt obliged to write a bit about this sentinel event.

Some of you may be wondering why I'm mentioning this on a blog site dedicated to writing and publishing. Well, not only was John a song writer, he was also an author, actor, film producer, and a political spokesperson. Americans feel terribly drawn to his music just as much as his homeland folks from England. His marriage to Yoko Ono sent ripples of woe through his fandom (I've personally spoken with several older women who swooned when they learned of his new wife). And his talent as a song writer went unmatched during his lifetime; some might argue that it is still unmatched.

For some reason whenever I see Kathy Bates in her role as Annie Wilkes in the film Misery, I always think of John Lennon's death. And although Misery was a work of fiction and what happened to John most certainly was not, the two resonate together in my mind (a crazed fan doing the unthinkable to someone they idolize). <shiver>

At any rate, it's always nice to remember what John Lennon accomplished during his short tenure here on Earth. His music helped coalesce the peace movement during the Vietnam War era. His political activism polarized nations. And his love of life spread over any who came into contact with him. That's why I'm writing this today. Not because it's "the day John Lennon got shot", but because his message of love, peace and questioning our leaders still stands out in my mind. And that's what many great writers (be it of songs or of fiction) always hope to accomplish whenever they put pen to paper.