War is over - (If you want it)

So this is Christmas - This is the title of the classic John Lennon song released over 30 years ago. I was just listening to Christmas songs on You Tube last night as we put up the Christmas tree and this song came up on the playlist. What got my attention is that the first five minutes of the video are of John talking about his peace initiative that he was running at the time of the song and prior to his untimely death in New York circa 1981.

Before I go further there is something you should know about me - I am a firm believer in the power of one. I think one person can start something that can change the world. Before I die I want to try and do something that moves others to try and accomplish this goal. I didn't know much before about John's peace movement and I still don't pretend to know everything. You may have seen pictures of John and Yoko's 'bed-in' but like me may not have known what the details of his message were.

In the short video John says very simply that he knows something is very wrong with the injustices of the world. He says he cannot articulate it and would encourage some one who can to do so. He knows like all of us that something is wrong and he decided to do something. He started a campaign of social awareness to promote peace. He paid for advertising with the words "War is Over - if you want it!" to be put up in major cities. His simple idea was to promote the consciousness that the people are the power and have the power to change the world. By promoting this slogan he wanted people to have the mantra of peace in their mind. Where it would lead to I am sure even he didn't know but as with the power of one a waterfall begins with only one drop of water. The key here for me was its simplicity. In order for it to work it must be simple so it cannot be torn apart and misinterpreted by those who would seek to see it fail.

search the following on you tube to find it "John lennon and Yoko Ono - War is over (if you want it)

Now I can understand why he was killed and I can believe that it was bigger than just Mark Chapman.

People like Bob Geldof and Bono (both from Ireland co-incidently) have done a lot against injustice but the one down side is that there work does not involve the common man; does not empower him.
Here is a simple idea that I want to share with you. It came to me and I had the chance to do it a few years ago just before I left my homeland for volunteer work. For whatever reason I didn't go ahead with it and it turns out I have not been back to my homeland since (for now I don't think it is important to know where i am from). I am married now with kids and far from home but If it fits you go ahead and use it.

At the time I was upset with the blatant apathy the politicians in my country were showing towards being caught doing something illegal. It was as if they were saying "so what!, What can anyone do to punish me?" and the reality is that all the politicians have dirt on each other so no one could accuse any one else! People were becoming desensitised to their corruption.

So, I decided to write a letter with what I was unhappy about. We all sit around and complain about the government so everyone has their own things to say. I was going to take this letter to our President. I chose the President because in our country while being a figurehead they do have certain powers such as vetoing legislation and dissolving parliament. The journey from my town was circa 250km and I was going to walk it with no money in my pocket and no food or drink in my bag. Two of my friends were going to go with me. Our idea was to go to the local radio station to arouse awareness of our departure and to encourage anyone like us who had ever sat helplessly in a bar complaining about the government to come out and write their own letter and join us even for just a part of the journey if that was all they could manage. Those who could not make the journey could help us by supplying food or drink. We felt confident we would not be left to starve and it was  a great chance for a Joe Soap like me to finally feel that they were doing something. However small or insignificant. The beauty of this is that we don't publicaly have a list of gripes or demands. They are all in everyones sealed envelope! Therefore there is nothing for those that twist words to fight us with. We are just dissatisfied civilians exercising our power. In our own small way we are saying "War is Over - if we want it" Another beauty of this is that if no one joins us, if me and my friend limp our way there on our own to deliver our letters then it is still mission accomplished.



I recently came upon a poem by an unknown author called “Just One.”

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make a difference,
And that life can be you!