Was Is Over! But We Still Have to Want It

In December 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono launched a War is Over peace campaign during the Vietnam War. Large posters and billboards appeared with the big words: WAR IS OVER! These words were followed by smaller words: If You Want It. Unfortunately, it did not stop that war. 

Now, in 2023, there are wars you have heard about – Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas – and many other wars that you may not know about. There are currently more than 110 armed conflicts going on worldwide, with many getting little or no attention. This may inspire people to once again say “War is over,” but we still have to want it. Judging from the map to your left, it seems someone is doing something wrong. 

A Call for Peace 

John and Yoko took advantage of their celebrity status to lead what now seems an amazingly ambitious effort for the pre-internet days. Using every method at their disposal – from leaflets to newspapers and billboards in major cities of the world – they sent a message of responsibility for peace. We, after all, must want peace for it to happen. All of us – the people of the world who talk about peace – must do something about it. 

John and Yoko with 'NY Times'

Of course, John shrewdly chose the Christmas season, which is always linked to peace on Earth and goodwill toward others. They also made short videos to spread their call for peace that would air on major outlets; along with radio and newspaper advertisements, John and Yoko were reaching out to as many people as possible with their message of peace with media that was available in 1969.

Optimism for Change

I was a little kid at the time, and I remember seeing the War Is Over! billboard on the local evening news. Of course, I was scared about the war, seeing news reports nightly about how many American soldiers were lost and wounded each day. But I was also giddy in my own little mind, having become intoxicated by a year when I watched men walk on the moon and my New York Mets put me over it by winning the World Series. Still, I had heard about the peace movement and thought that this had to be something big. 

The above video is an example of what John and Yoko released at the time. After watching it, I found it to be amazing how optimistic John was about change. I guess in 1969 that it was easier to think that a good man with a plan for peace could appeal to the public, and that the people would effect change. When he says he thinks the world leaders "are all insane," it still rings true today.

Present Realities

Fast forward to the present, and now it's my kids who are worried about wars. In their lifetimes, our country has always been at war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Syria. And kids aren’t the only ones worried about war – we adults are pretty upset about it as well. However, just as back in 1969, we have to want war to stop and, even if we say it aloud and pray for it and even write our representatives about it, nothing changes. The bombs keep going off, the soldiers and forces and militias keep fighting and dying, and innocents suffer the consequences. 

Innocent victims of war in Sudan

So, what do we have to do then? We see our leaders meeting with other leaders – but nothing changes. Across the world, I am certain that the people suffering in these other conflicts are looking to their leaders and see nothing changing as well. How can we let this carnage go on? How can we not put our collective feet down and say, “Enough is enough!”

Those in Power

Sadly, it is not up to the people of our country and these other countries. The power is in the hands of  those – sometimes elected and sometimes in power by other means – who are in charge. Unfortunately, they are either unwilling or unable to say the right words, to do the right things, and the wars keep on going seemingly incessantly until the end is never in sight, sticking us in the middle of a long, dark tunnel, with no hope of seeing the light.

War should be over in this time. With our connectivity through the internet, we should all be working toward harmony. Most people want it to be over, yet others thrive on war. They are like the Greek Ares – gods of war who desire war for war’s sake. They have no interest in peace because conflict is their drug of choice, and they inhale it with abandon and have no desire for their high to come to an end. 

The World Outside Your Window

So, this Christmas, you will gather with your friends and loved ones. You will dine on good food and imbibe good drink, and you will exchange presents. During all the festivities with the music on in the background, you may faintly hear the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and recognize the words, “There's a world outside your window/And it's a world of dread and fear” and know they are still true. I hope you mark those words, making you be thankful for all that you have, because so many others are suffering and many have little or nothing to celebrate. 

With apologies to the great M*A*S*H television show writers, in the end there are two rules at play in the world today. Rule One: The leaders of the world either want war or are ambivalent and allow it to continue. Rule Two: We can pray for the people in all conflicts and hope for world peace, but there seems to be nothing we can do to change Rule One. How tragic for us all. 

Please be sure to check out the videos below. 

Images:

Billboard Times Square: https://en.apoplife.nl/war-is-over-if-you-want-it/

Map: https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/16itjto/ongoing_wars_in_2023/?rdt=47468

John and Yoko: https://en.apoplife.nl/war-is-over-if-you-want-it/

Innocent victims of war in Sudan: https://slma.net/en/an-urgent-humaitarian-appeal-to-rescue-the-lives-of-the-recently-displaced-war-victims-to-jebel-marra/