The Lennon Wall in Prague
This past summer, I had the chance to visit the gorgeous city of Prague in the Czech Republic. One of the lesser known attractions there is a wall of graffiti dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. The image above is from one small portion of the wall.
But this wall is so much more than a memorial.
- It represents the power of free speech. The wall was begun during the Communist era and the police could not prevent the people from continuing to paint on the wall.
- It represents the power of non-violence to create change. Some say the wall contributed to the fall of Communism in the Czech Republic, the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
- It is a piece of art as a whole, consisting of pieces of art within; a true expression of the hopes and dreams of everyone who contributes.
- It represents constant change, as it is continuously evolving.
- It shows that even though John Lennon is no longer with us, his spirit lives on.
We’ve all heard a lot about John Lennon in the past weeks, leading up to the 30th anniversary of his death this past Wednesday. I watched the CNN documentary, Losing Lennon: Countdown to Murder. I still remember where I was when I heard of his death.
What struck me most was when I heard Brian Williams say that there was a whole generation of people under the age of 30 who have never known a world with John Lennon in it. It’s hard to pin down exactly what his legacy is, but he definitely continues to have an impact.
He was an ordinary man with extraordinary gifts, but I think his greatest strength was that he was not afraid to speak about his dreams for this world and he did not see them as impossible to attain.
Imagine, all you need is love.