by flipper 58 Replies latest jw friends
You can't do it, not if you're being true and honest with yourself." Julian Lennon
Lennon did have some personal flaws to be realized but he promoted and utilized his public notoriety for a deeply felt cause, an ideology that was started and influenced by the counter cultural ideologies of the 1960's.
Peace, love and understanding
John Lennon basically abandoned his first son and was known to beat women up. Julian Lennon says his father was so full of shit, like most hippies he was politically unaware and was more into for the sex and drugs.
@Fink - agreed.
Lennon was no saint (he was a less-than-perfect father to Julian, cheated on Cynthia, even cheated on Yoko) but he never claimed to be one.
Although he was, I think, politically naïve, he did care about promoting peace, love and understanding. And this from someone that had a bad up-bringing himself (his father left him when John was 5, his mother died when he was about 16).
Rest in peace, John. Thanks for giving us some wonderful songs.
I think some of the exJWs at JWN would appreciate this (contains bad language):
Its been noted that he did commit adultery with Yoko but there is little information that he was an out right sexual predator who had sex with groupies whenever he traveled around.
Yes he used use drugs but what young adolescent/adult didn't use drugs in that time or era. ?
Much of the counter culture of the 60's was about freedom that included the supposed use of mind expanding drugs.
Let it be realized that Lennon was no saint, he was popularized for being in the Beatles and for promoting peace as an alternative to war.
I would even put forth the suggestion that he was more beloved for being a member of the Beatles than his peace avocations..
The love and popularity of the Beatles was still around back in 1980 when he was shot and he did produce some popular albums on his own after The Beatles.
The media never accurately portrays or reveals the true characterization of celebrities, its just presents the more appealing personality traits.
Hi Flipper. I agree with you that no one is perfect. In fact, I can't think of a single person throughout history who achieved anything great who didn't also have their bad side, to a greater or lesser degree. Since we're all imperfect, I think we just have to let their accomplishments stand on their own merits and not let the "sins" of the person overshadow the good they did.
Just a few examples, in no particular order:
Isaac Newton discovered scientific principles that helped make possible many of modern society's advancements and achievements, but he was also an alchemist (which he kept secret for many years).
George Washington helped lead the budding United States to independence and was its first President, declining to be made King when it was his for the asking. But he also kept slaves, bequeathing them to his heirs like property.
Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union and freed the slaves, but he never viewed them as the social equivalent to whites. He held views that would be considered racist today.
John F. Kennedy, against the advice of his military advisors, quite possibly prevented World War III by the way he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He also laid the basis for the Civil Rights Act, but he was a serial adulterer all his adult life.
Martin Luther King accomplished a great deal as a moral and spiritual leader of millions of people, preaching non-violence and reconciliation instead of inciting a race war. But he too was a serial adulterer with a penchant for very young girls.
Walt Disney and his ideas brought happiness and joy to millions upon millions world-wide. But he is also known to have been an anti-semite.
Bill Cosby entertained millions for many years and he undeniably furthered the cause of civi rights by his words and deeds. But recently revealed news about certain sexual proclivities put him in a completely different light.
Benjamin Franklin had a great scientific mind. Some of his inventions and discoveries are still in use today. He helped found the United States. But his sexual peccadilloes are renown and he was cold and indifferent, if not cruel, to some of those closest to him, including his wife.
According to the Bible, King David was the "Anointed of Jehovah," destined to provide the line through which mankind's savior was to come. But he was also a murderer, adulterer, and schemer, and was directly responsible for the unnecessary deaths of thousands upon thousands.
There could be many, many more examples. Some quite a bit more egregious than these. But my point is that a person's achievements can and sometimes should overshadow their personal shortcomings, and must be judged on their own merits. Nothing good comes from trying to rewrite history. It is simply wrong to try to erase or besmirch the memory of people who achieved a measure of greatness because other aspects of their lives don't measure up or aren't "politically correct" today. We have to view people and events in the light of historical context. Yes, expose it all, good and bad. Then you and I can decide for ourselves whether the good they achieved outweighs the bad.
One more example: You cannot prove from the Bible that slavery is wrong. It does provide a few rules and regulations regarding slavery, such as distinguishing between fellow Israelite and non-Israelite slaves and codifying the acquisition and disposition of captured "sex slaves," but nowhere does it condemn it. In fact, it is presented as a societal norm. Even in the New Testament, slaves are commanded to be obedient to their masters in all things. And there are many other things in the Bible that are abhorrent and repulsive to most any modern-day "civilized" human being. But that doesn't mean that everything in the Bible must be rejected, or that it contains no guidelines applicable today. Each account, teaching, or principle needs to weighed on its own merit. I think the same applies even more to individuals and the different aspects of their lives.
Please remit 2¢ for this insightful and pedantic diatribe.
I was at a Stevie Wonder concert that night. He took a break and came out crying , told the crowd that John Lennon was dead. The man sitting in front of me said "there is no god" and starting getting very angry.
Stevie asked for calm . Carlos Santana and Bob Marley [ minus his dred locks, later we found out he had cancer] came out for the last song. They sang Master Blaster.
What a sad night .
He had a tender heart that came out in his lyrics.
FLIPPER:
Nobody has to die to make me "god" to judge anybody. I'm just simply calling it as I see it. It would be easier to take notice of an "advocate of peace" from somebody who actually practices what he preaches instead of the said advocate beating the shit out of his wife and cheating on her and neglecting his first born son while singing "living life in peace." So we all make mistakes and are human; my point in posting his flesh and blood's quote, from somebody who knew him better than you did.
LRG
