LALLOUZ INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE

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“PRAYER FOR WORLD PEACE”

by Adelle Bernadette

Acrylic on canvas

By connecting to the spiritual nature and life-force of her subject matter, Adelle Bernadette draws the viewer into the essence of her work. She is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and has her work in private collections around the world. Bernadette currently divides her time between Vancouver, Canada and the Southern Gulf Islands. Visit www.adellebernadette.com

With his books ‘The Prophet of the New Millennium’ and ‘The God of the New Millennium’ already published, British Author Gregory Dark is currently working on his third and final book of the trilogy, 'Man of the New Millennium' scheduled for publication sometime in 2009. Visit www.prophetofthenewmillennium.com

In 1969, newlywed couple John Lennon and Yoko Ono took a suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. There, in room 1742, they caused the ultimate of media frenzies with a ‘Bed-In For Peace’ whereby they put on their pyjamas and welcomed the press over the course of their 10-day stay. It was in that very hotel suite living room that they recorded the song “Give Peace a Chance”.

by Gregory Dark

Likewise with the flower-powery sort of songs: ‘Give Peace A Chance’, let’s say. “All we are say-ying,” we sang at the top of our ‘70s voices, “is give peace a chance.”

We thought if we sang hard enough to them, they would. Give peace a chance, I mean: they, the governments of the world, the Americans and the Russians and the Chinese, the Israelis and the Palestinians, the Iraqis and Iranians, the Indians and Pakistanis, the Cubans and Angolans and Afghans, the Black Panthers, the IRA, Black September, the Weathermen, the Angry Brigade and Baader-Meinhof.

“All we are say-ying,” we sang to them all, “is give peace a chance.” And we couldn’t understand why they weren’t.

And then the atrocity happened at the Twin Towers. And no-one was any longer singing “Give peace a chance.” Suddenly the keyword was Sir Mick Jagger’s exclamation that you don’t fuck with New York. Suddenly Sir Mick became the Kipling of another age, the recruiting sergeant with fife and drum, urging young men to their deaths. Suddenly we no longer wanted to give peace a chance.

I’m afraid I have a distrust these days of the motives which entice ‘celebrities’ to perform at such concerts, and I therefore tend to avoid watching them. But if what I have heard is correct, there was one act that night in New York of outstanding courage: and that was Richard Gere’s appeal to eschew violence … to, yes, give peace a chance.

I understand New York being at that time incensed and in shock; I understand the whole country being so. And I understand those in the audience giving Mr Gere a hard time – one he simply had to know he would get, and which therefore, in my eyes, only enhances the heroism of his action.

But, if peace is to be given a chance, it is not ‘they’ who must allow it one, but ‘us’ – each and every one of us. And that means giving it a chance too when it is we who are hurt.

The Christ didn’t suggest turning the other cheek because it was easy. The way of peace is always and infinitely harder than the way of violence or vengeance. It requires way more courage for couples to resolve their difficulties in the therapist’s office than in the divorce courts.

Which is precisely why there continue to be the amount of wars there are. Because populists like Sir Mick Jagger exclaim to their audiences: “Don’t fuck with Islam or Israel or Pakistan or India or this tribe or that nation or this faith or that belief” and that audience then rushes for the recruiting office.

If we are serious, if we do want to give peace a chance, it is precisely that which must happen: ‘We’ must give peace a chance. It is not their responsibility but ours.

They won’t. We could. Will we?

POP SONGS HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR. ‘LOVE’ FOR INSTANCE ‘ACCORDING TO MANY’ IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE WORKED AT. IT IS SOMETHING WHICH HAPPENS ‘INSTANTLY AND FOREVER’.