tribute to John Lennon

I 'grew up' with The Beatles .. so I feel really sad that his life was shortened so cruelly.

My favourite Lennon song is 'Imagine'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2xB4dbdNSXY#t=18s

Thanks uktp, my wife & I always mark the day and memories of his humanity bring us back to earth in a world that could do with more like him. "nothing to kill or die for"

but that clearly doesn't mean I wasn't sad at his passing. I confess to having a problem with the whole hippy peace scene and just end up wanting to shake people in to doing something ... don't mind what .. just something constructive. Hotel sleep in's don't count in my book.I like the Beatles music but I think Paul & John fell in to the trap of believing all the hype. They wrote some good songs .. but it was far from profound world changing stuff.

Steve - not sure if you are talking about your views at the time or looking back. The Beatles marked, and were instrumental in, a huge switch in attitudes, moving the young away from the compliance & deference that ruled the young since the Victorian era.

JL took the lead by speaking his mind, no matter who he was talking to (much as Bob Geldof has done since).  In the 60s & 70s it was dramatic and infected others to do the same.  Well that's what he did for me.

"Imagine" pretty much sums this up for me.  Yes, in hindsight, in the cynical 21st century, it can all seem twee & unrealistic but for me the message is as relevant now as it was at the time, and I still live in hope.

... I would rather have the young compliant and deferential as opposed to feral as many are now!

Dolly the sheep(s)......life/change eh, it's a dilemma

... I think the pendulum swung too far the other way, but I feel it may be going back to more central ground. I think this time now there is a wish to respect authority, but that has to be earned on merit now. I think politicians need to wake up to the fact with the news on the internet from wide; varied; and uncontrollable sources there is now no hiding place and that they need to forget party politics and start doing what is best for the counntry full stop, and may be Mr Cameron has taken the first step!

Sorry, think I dozed off there I appear to have be day dreamng :o)

This leads on to a serious note, there are serious attempts underway by the US and other governments to force the interent under government control and effectively stiffle dissenting voices by blocking them from posting, initially by cost and ultimately by legislation!

Lots of people are totally ignorant and disrespectful these days. The young learn it from their elders. 

I get tired of people insisting on their 'rights' even though giving them their demanded 'rights' would mean trampling all over everybody else's 'rights'.

Too many people are just too selfish.

There endeth the whinge for today ;)

It was their simplicity and honesty that allows them to stand the test of time but I doubt this would have been the case had it not been that someone like JL wrote & sung them. 

Those elders they learn from were the flower children of the 60's.

The true hippy ethos is fine, but the vast majority took the attractive proposition of do what you want and sod the rest - and is a significant reason of why we are how we are today!

I know it is a small window, and it is not a perfect view (they are hardly going tp let us see the negative bits), but watching the series living with the Amish makes you see how humans should strive to live and work as a community.

... some people will always take the extreme view, but fortunately they are generally in the minority. Blaming the hippy ethos is just giving them an excuse for their selfish ways.

This is where consideration, respect, and courtesy come in. Some people will always be selfish and just see things from their very personal view, ie. what will they get out of it!  I like to think the majority of people would look at the bigger picture to see how it affects everyone, and not just themselves, but I am not sure that happens very much these days.

Some of the kindest, and most generous people I know, have very little of their own. They would give their last penny to help someone, especially a child. I havent seen the series, but I imagine the Amish think along similar lines, and put their beliefs and their caring society as being of more importance than the 'easy life'.

... we can but hope.

I strongly reccommend you get yourself on 4od and catch up with living with the Amish, it has really moved me, and shown me that really many of our young want structure, discipline and purpose in their lives but there is no-one credible to give it to them.

I think it interesting that the happiest cultures seem to be those where the law comes from the elders.

I think the Amish would probably agree that a house built from well seasoned mature timber will last a lifetime, but that built from green young wood will soon perish!

The underlying message of the Amish way of life though is that you should always do the best you can, all the time, however small and insignificant the task, and always look for the joy of achievement.

... for you, hope you enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrcCco68sMA 

Just what I needed, been a bad day, cheers OGA