[slideshow_deploy id=’18618′]
When Yoko Ono was a young girl living in Japan she witnessed the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The indescribable horror of the atomic bombs hitting the two cities and concluding WWII in 1945 will forever bear a darkened mark on the history of humanity. “I never understood why human beings must be so cruel to each other,” explains Ono. “Cruelty was everywhere. I wished to keep creating work which will help to slow down life and carry the wish for World Peace. I started when I was inspired to do so.”
For young Ono it meant a moment of human cruelty so obscene, peace became the only answer, the only truly important resolution for human survival. Ono’s cry for peace captured the zeitgeist of the time and was joined by hundreds of thousands of people reacting against the horrendous violence of war crimes. The new social movements were marked by an “anti-ism”, by an attitude of opposing the military and structural powers of the time, and collided with what is commonly referred to as the revolutionary counter-culture.
After keeping up appearances through the restricting social norms of the 1940s and ‘50s, this was an era of “freedom to explore one’s potential, freedom to create one’s Self, freedom of personal expression, freedom from scheduling, freedom from rigidly defined roles and hierarchical statuses …” as social anthropologist Jentri Anders expressed it.
With television on the rise people were exposed to broadcasts from around the planet for the first time. All of a sudden, breaking news was delivered straight to people’s living rooms and viewers were brought face to face with the grim realities of war.
The world watched as the racial rallies and riots mounted; when Martin Luther King delivered his historic I Have a Dream speech advocating racial equality and harmony in August 1963. People followed the growing tension between USA and Cuba that escalated when Fidel Castro took leadership in the mid-’60s. The world watched as the Cultural Revolution in China in ’66 brought oppression to the forefront of everyone’s minds. And in Europe people witnessed the French student and worker uprisings of May ‘68.
Out of this newly televised awareness, a generation of peace activists and peace movements was born. It was a collective wake-up call ignited by the brutality of the conflict in Vietnam and the ominous threat of nuclear warfare. Consequently demonstrations about the Vietnam War, nuclear weapons, racial injustice, women’s rights and issues of poverty spread around the globe. It was also a spiritual awakening; a monumental reaction against the past and prominent horrors of violence in general. “It was a great feeling that so many of us were standing up for peace,” recalls Ono.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s public positions ensured that their message would spread around the world and attracted a mammoth media zest that would captivate generations to come. Their honeymoon bed-ins of 1969 and single Give Peace a Chance, captured the world’s attention and embodied the romantic and hopeful spirit of the time. Later that year the WAR IS OVER Christmas slogan campaigns appeared and we heard John Lennon’s poignant Imagine. The couple also began a series of happenings presenting “Bagism”, a term coined by the couple to put focus on prejudice and stereotyping, alluding to the fact that it is not what’s on the outside that matters; hence the performances were conducted entirely inside large cloth bags. John and Yoko’s message was everywhere, and people were listening.
The peace movements served the purpose of being an inspirational voice, a tool of activism for the people, a way for individuals to act in the face of monstrously intricate political conflicts almost designed to encourage apathy. “It was pretty effective,” says Ono. “Now most people are wanting peace. Only a very small percentage of the human race is still thinking that violence is a good method to bring about change.”
If we look at the term “peace” we find that since the foundation of the United Nations in 1945 the term has been connected to achieving “world peace”, the ending of all wars. Ironically it seems “the world” is still busy fighting wars to end wars. Over half a century later, we find weapons of mass destruction are still posing a monumental threat to the planet and, shockingly, wars are still being fought on the basis of this issue.
Gradually through the ’60s and ’70s this rather black and white notion of peace as “ending all wars” was transmuted into a wider understanding of peace as something more; something spiritual and sacred that connected people. It was about love, understanding and empathy in a non-religious setting. Peace, justice and democracy represented the pillars our societies had been built upon. For the anti-war protesters, peace fighters and historical human rights figures like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, peace resonated through their voices with an acute activism for freedom, racial equality and justice for all. They showed us that non-violence and peace practice lies in our own hands.
“I really don’t know what influence we had on others,” Ono continues, “but I think it is better to be playing good music than bad music, even if that doesn’t influence anybody. Simply by becoming wiser and keeping a clear vision, that’s the power all of us people have. We must believe in the magic of our beings and what our minds can do.”
Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower near Reykjavík, Iceland bears evidence of her simple philosophy.
Created in memory of John Lennon, it consists of a tower of light projected into the sky from a white stone monument on which the words Imagine Peace are carved in 24 languages. Buried underneath the light tower are 500,000 written wishes that Ono has gathered from people across the globe over the past 20 years. Yoko Ono, at the age of 77, is still determined to remind us that our huge creative potential can usurp that of destruction. “Peace is in my heart and yours. I am inspired by all people who carry peace in their hearts. They are the icons of peace.”
On tomorrow’s peace movements Ono predicts, “A movement which allows each of us to do our own thing to work for peace.” So does the future look promising for peace? “Yes!” she exclaims, “I think the increasing destruction in the world by natural causes and the ones we are creating are making all of us desperately pray for peace!”
Peace is as relevant today as it has ever been. It is a fundamental human need. The world has changed dramatically since the ‘60s and the tools of peace and awareness reflect this.
The internet has opened up channels where news agencies cannot reach, and provides the opportunity for global petitions to be formed and flash demonstrations organised. The fight for peace – of course a blatant oxymoron – is one that continues to be fought on a daily basis, online, in the streets, but most importantly in our minds. As the Buddhist philosopher Thich Nhat Hanh advises, “Stop the violent in you, in your family, in society and in the world.”
The peace movements continue to represent a powerful voice for freedom and justice. They continue to inspire and give hope. But the real battle is an internal one. Peace starts within. If we stop the violence in ourselves the world will reflect that change. And what of the next generation? “They should think for themselves,” says Ono decidedly. “We should just give them encouragement and love. You will be surprised how they come up with wise ideas if we leave them alone.”
Throughout her staggering life and artistic career, Ono’s goal has remained the same. “My motivation is wanting to see the human race survive in good faith and for the good of all living things on the planet. That wish has never changed.”
by Marie Brown
Taken from the Glass archive – Issue Three – Promise