Thirty years ago today, John Lennon was assassinated by Mark David Chapman. In a sad twist of irony, Lennon’s life was ended in violence, contrary to what he had “Imagine”‘d.

“He was angry that Lennon would preach love and peace but yet have millions [of dollars],” said [Chapman's] wife Gloria.

Chapman later said that “He told us to imagine no possessions, and there he was, with millions of dollars and yachts and farms and country estates, laughing at people like me who had believed the lies and bought the records and built a big part of their lives around his music.”

~ wikipedia.org

It would seem Lennon’s recipe for peace caused his demise.

Thirty years after Lennon, there are still countries killing each other, religions fighting, people not living life in peace. There are the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Iran and North Korea’s situations and governments are not very stable.

Still, there is always hope and we can always work together towards the better future Lennon “Imagine”‘d. Youth today are more educated and empowered than ever before to change the world.

Especially with social media, social change and social justice have become buzzwords. Hopefully they will be words that are turned into action. We should not focus on “social change” but rather focus on what specific aspect of the change we want to make happen.

One event I covered a couple of years ago had a simple message that still resounds in my head. “Think Global, Act Local.”

That is, think about how to solve a global problem like poverty. Then act to solve poverty in your own back yard. Everyone doing their little part that they can do, will altogether help humanity.

I “Imagine if there’s no Heaven”, that Lennon is still “Living life in peace” wherever he is.

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

~ Imagine – John Lennon