Some time ago, just after the death of the Reverend Jerry Falwell, the Advocate published a piece I wrote entitled "Farewell to Falwell." In this piece, I posthumously tarred and feathered the Reverend with his own words, which (and I stand by this opinion) were for the most part racist, sexist, manipulative, divisive, exclusionary and hateful by almost any standard.
Still, the overall feeling of the article was a negative one, and as the holidays approach and I search for something more positive to merit printing, I arrive at this:
It is 12:05 a.m. on Dec. 8 as I write this. Twenty-eight years ago today, a man who was precisely the age I find myself at now was shot and killed on Manhattan's Upper West Side, a block or two from the apartment he'd shared with his (admittedly odd) true love and their five-year-old son. He had been a brilliant but troubled man who'd struggled with many issues, emotions and situations both internal and external, and yet at that time had seemed, perhaps all the more sadly, to have been on the verge of coming to terms with his personal demons. Though he was foreign-born, the scope of his heart and mind was global, and his legacy remains partially but undeniably American. In a more optimistic vein, let's let some of his words speak for themselves:
"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."
"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it."
"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace."
"I don't believe in killing whatever the reason!"
"As usual, there is a great woman behind every idiot."
"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."
"Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it."
"All we are saying is, give peace a chance."
"Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry" (indirectly addressing the queen at a Royal Albert Hall performance).
"My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all."
"Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law. It's nine-tenths of the problem."
"The more I see, the less I know for sure."
"A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear."
"All you need is love."
—John Winston Lennon, Oct. 9, 1940-Dec. 8, 1980
