Sigh. Seventy! Today Ringo Starr, the drummer for the Beatles, turns seventy years old. What a stark(ey) reminder for Baby Boomers. Hey man, we're old.
Ringo has requested that at noon today we all flash a peace sign to honour his birthday. He says he is still committed to the concepts of peace and love which were so much a part of the idealistic mindset of the era when the Beatles ruled the music world, the 1960's. It does seem naiive in retrospect. Make love not war, the opponents of the Viet Nam war shouted. And of course , Ringo's bandmate, John Lennon, sang "all we are saying, is give peace a chance."
This was also Jesus' message, which Christians tout and then steadfastly ignore. According to the gospel of Luke, angels sang a message of peace at Jesus' birth. Wouldn't it be something if we finally decided that it makes holy sense? So, at noon today, peace out.
Do you dare to share some sixties reminiscences? What are your thoughts about peace on earth, good will to all in an age when we are at war?
The sixties were a little before my time, but I like the message of peace at that time.
ReplyDeleteIt can be easy to get discouraged about the attainment of peace when all we see is war. I just finished reading a book by President Jimmy Carter, and his views on the middle east.
For decades, through many, many attempts such as the Camp David Accord, Roadmap for Peace, Oslo Accord, and numerous UN resolutions, there is still no peace in Palestine and Israel. And that is just one hotspot in the world.
I think we need to have peace summits, where it is not just the world leaders in attendance, but spokespeople for the many groups in search of world peace also present. Just don't hold it in downtown Toronto!
turtle61I was to young to be part of the sixties(I am sorry I missed out on lots of it). "Give Peace a Chance", "Make Love not War" seem like worthwhile ideas. Maybe in time our world leaders will get the message that peace would be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it in human nature that looks on peace with suspicion and embraces violence as a solution to conflict, even though history shows that it is not?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that Carter continues to speak out even though he is not appreciated by many in the States and Israel.
Thanks for your feedback.