Why I admire John Lennon. ⋆˙⟡

Well, first of all, I have to make clear I do not agree with Lennon's ethical stance. We share some ideologies; his muisc and his protests are what mainly got me into the hippie movement, but it was an extreme form of pacifism I personally do noy agree with. 

I do admire of him that he didn't wear peace as a slogan, he truly believed in it and pushed the idea to its absolute limit. He believed violence was never an option nor a response -- not in war, not in protest, not even in self defense. He thought that revolution came from being better than opressors, that it was emotional and artistic, if we all asked for peace -- we would get peace.

I consider it was a beautiful way of thinking, Lennon pushed the idea that peace isn’t created by politicians -- it starts with how people think, feel, and treat each other. The  power was never on the goverment, it was always on us as human beings. 

He made a lot of things for the hippie movement, that's why he is an icon until today. Before him, people saw activism as just shouting and being loud for no reason, but he made young people feel like peace was something you could live, not just demand. Lennon knew he had a voice after The Beatles' fame, and took advantage of it to demand peace, knowing younger ones or his followers would listen to him. He knew millions of people would listen to him because he wasn't any ordinary artist. Until today, 45 years after his death, songs like “Give Peace a Chance” still are international protest anthems. 

He changed that view that so many systems are built on violence: police, armies, revolutions, punishments… Or rather, he questioned them. He made people stop and ask themselves if it was really the only way we could do things, if we were destinated to live a life under that "hunt or get hunted" mentality. In 1970, times of fear for wars (especially Vietnam's) Lennon chose to reject it, to say we can do so much better than that. He chose love. That was courage, sometimes rebellion is just being kind in a world full of fear, violence, murder and hate.

In the time (and today too), not everyone could fight, join a revolution, or “fix” big problems. Lennon proved to them that their existence, their way of thinking, their words or even their small actions are what truly mattered to him. He let people know they didn't need to be powerful or big to make a difference, giving so much value to small acts of peace. 

Not defending what he ever did, contrary to it, I know Lennon was shaped into a violent person once. He used to be jealous, controlling, cruel and violent. He wasn't born peaceful, and once, he was a violent man too. But he actively tried to transform himself into someone more compassionate. Many people think he was born peaceful. He wasn't. That's exactly why the lesson it hits harder.

This meant his pacifism wasn't just a dream he always had in mind, it was a transformation. He has seen what violence does and decided he didn't want to continue with that cycle anymore. Most activists acted like gurus or like they were perfect people, but Lennon screwed up, he hurt people, but tried to do better than that. He didn't choose peace because it was easy, it was hard. Especially for someone like Lennon, who grew up knowing only violence and hatred, influenced by anger issues. He was peaceful because he refused to repeat the pain he grew up with, or the pain he knew he caused to others.

In short, Lennon's way of thinking may have been naive, but it meant a lot for people in those years, and it means a lot to some people until today. He was revoultionary, an icon for hippies. 

They can kill you, but they can't eat you.

Peace and love ☮︎♡.

SPANISH VER. : https://write.as/vjaxvtg29zc9b.md