Imagine if John Lennon were alive today. Imagine, for just a moment, that an assassin's bullet never found its way to an unsuspecting target, that Mark David Chapman was never born, that destiny turned the other way that fateful night and that Lennon never hit the sidewalk, his famous glasses shattering on the pavement with his heart slowing as the very essence of his life slowly trickled out of his body. Just imagine, if you will, that his voice appears on the radio not as a ghostly reminder of promise lost but as a current artist who is still making records to rival his bandmate, Paul McCartney, even today. Can you imagine?
If you can imagine that 28 years have gone by without each December 8th being a grim reminder of that split second when Lennon was cut down by a sick and obsessed "fan", then perhaps you can begin to imagine the other things John asked. No possessions, no need for greed or hunger, all the people sharing all the world. You may say he's a dreamer, but he's not the only one. Can you imagine that the husband, the father, the musician, the man would be pleased with the direction of the world today? Or would you imagine that his dismay would cloud his optimism, and that he would begin to grow less hopeful? Would he see the world as reflected in his childrens' eyes, as Julian and Sean see his image reflected in theirs? Can you imagine that Yoko would still be his one and only true love, or would their love have dimmed over the years amidst the strain of forces within and without themselves? Would he have aged as gracefully as we would have liked him to, or would he wear the tired visage of his fellow bandmate, McCartney?
Could you imagine a world with three Beatles instead of the current two? Would you imagine that all we really do need is love? And even if you couldn't, wouldn't you imagine that would be a nice start? He asked us to hold his hand, to please please him, and to let him take us down to Strawberry Fields. You know, the place where nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about. He told us about the fool on the hill (he's living there still), and had another clue for us all....the walrus was Paul. Can you imagine a world where John Lennon never existed? I wouldn't want to live in that world. I imagine he could relate.
I wish I could imagine that horrible night never happened, that he was not snatched away in the prime of his life, that the emptiness I felt then wouldn't resonate just as strongly 28 years later. I wish that he were around these days; it seems we need someone like him more now than ever. I am forever grateful he was here on this Earth, if only for 40 short years, and that the musical legacy he left will never be stolen or diminished despite an assassin's best efforts. I imagine that he will live on in many hearts and minds. I imagine he would be pleased with that, and maybe that would even be enough.
I imagine.
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I am glad to see that Lennon has touched so many lives, and that his legacy is one of peace and love. Chris, Mike, and Ziggy, you understand what I am saying, and I thank you for your thoughts and sharing of the spirit that was John.
December 8, 2008 at 7:32 p.m.Ziggy...I was around back then. I remember the appearance on Ed Sullivan. I remember the music and the stupid movies and I remember how all four went around stoned out of their minds. I remember the news stories about how they were busted in half the airports in the world while transporting dope. I'm willing to "Give peace a chance" but I'm not willing to change history because a singer got himself killed by a nut.
December 8, 2008 at 12:11 p.m.SugarMag.... He was definitely one of the "Greats". Thanks for putting into words the loss I feel as well. Beautiful. He put his heart into his music.
December 8, 2008 at 11:59 a.m.Wayward.....sometimes it is best not to say anything at all. Why don't you "....give peace a chance...."
Pilot...If you and Magnolia really believe that the world would be a more peaceful place had John Lennon not been murdered then you're smoking the same stuff he and the other Beatles smoked. I'm not saying he wasn't a talented musician, but he was no more talented -- I don't believe AS talented -- as some others of the same era. If he had stayed away from the dope, he and his buddies might have done some really special stuff, but as it was, all four were dopers who got away with it because they were rich and famous. I knew one kid in high school who totally bought into the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi bravo sierra and, in his dope induced fanticies, thought himself as a kindred spirit to the Fab Four. He ended up as dead as Lennon, but he did it to himself. In short, listen to the music and remember the good times, but don't try to canonize a guy who did as much as anyone back then to spread the drug culture far and wide.
December 8, 2008 at 11:37 a.m.Thanks for the tribute to the co-leader of the most influential band of our time.
December 8, 2008 at 8:08 a.m.