Commentaries by Cynthia

Dear John Lennon,

The peace sign is back by popular demand and so is a lot of your music. Most current artists and recording companies only care about making a buck. With exception of a select song here and there, the needs of society are being ignored in today’s' popular tunes. I more or less stumbled onto your music looking for songs that would express what I felt about the world around me. I guess it's true what they say about history repeating itself. What was prevalent in your time is also prevalent in mine.

You also seemed to have a lot to say about everything from family relations to faith to love and equal rights. I can't help but wonder if you had a window into my soul. Of course, I am neither rich nor famous, but it seems as though we walked down many of the same paths and arrived at the same conclusions. You looked around you and were brave enough to question what was once deemed unquestionable. What’s it all about? Why are we all here? Is God real? Is organized religion causing more harm than good? Is dying for your country the most noble thing you can do, or have we been brainwashed by the military and politicians into believing that it is? Why can't we all say what we think or feel and not be bludgeoned for it? Why can't we agree to disagree? How can we fight the forces of oppression without becoming like them? Regardless of the question, whenever you arrived at an answer, you put it out in the world, knowing full-well that it would sometimes make ripples in the pond. Need I say that I tend to do the same thing?

Judgmental and demeaning people were a thorn in your side. I think you called them "fucking peasants" at one time. They irritate me greatly, as well. Some people cannot handle opinions or lifestyles that are different from their own. It threatens something deep inside them, and we know that fear causes people to react irrationally and with malice. So what if a person doesn't agree with that new book, record, or movie that's been released? Is censorship really proving anything - except that they're closed-minded and motivated by fear, insecurity and arrogance? I think you had your share of mistreatment by fundamentalist groups. I can only say that these types of people give Christianity a bad name. It's no wonder you looked for God elsewhere -- in more tolerant religions or in yourself. I've done with same thing for the same reason.

I suspect that you suffered from ADHD and depression, conditions widely unknown about in your time. We've come a long way since then, and I believe your life would have been easier if you had been treated for these conditions. But then, we have to wonder, would you have been able to create such fine works without these aliments nipping at your heels? It's a question every creative person asks themselves. On some level, we know that out of our greatest despair comes some of our finest work. So we go into the dark abyss where there is pain and torment, then come back, bringing with us the seeds for a new song, literary work, or piece of art. This is no easy task, especially for sensitive people.

It was a sad day when I learned of your death. I was sitting in my ninth grade homeroom class. You and The Beatles were a little before my time, but I had recently purchased two of your singles, "Woman" and "Starting Over," the last two songs that you released. I will not speak of this day anymore because I do not want to give your assassin the attention that he so desperately craved when he shot you. It is your work and legacy that I choose to remember most.

You truly lived a magical and deeply inspired life. Most of us will not reach our full potential, but I believe that you did. Across time and space and death, you still manage to reach people, even today. Thank you for it all.

Peace,
Cynthia