For what it is worth

John Lennon died 33 years ago tomorrow. I am too young to have been moved or influenced personally by the man or his music, but I have always been intrigued by what he stood for. Whether superficial or not, Lennon sang about a nicer world than the real one. It is worth it to have a vision of something better, something to work or fight for, otherwise you often end up slouching in despair. You would have to ask my parents about what Lennon really meant, he and the Beatles were their music. I had to approach the Beatles on my own terms to understand how they influenced my parents' generation and even then I will probably never fully feel the importance.

Here is what John Lennon's message means to me; Peace is better than war, too many possessions are a bad thing, rigid uncompromising religion makes one a danger to all, love one another. Is that so hard to believe even if you are a rich rock star? Okay, so that is one mythical sea monster's take. Here is another:

When preserving the economic and political power structure comes to be defined as “national interests,” real change is treasonous.John Lennon didn’t fight the system. He didn’t try to get It to change. He stood on a separate platform and said to give peace a chance — a fluffy, hippie sentiment. Yet, if the sentiment were to be undertaken in concrete terms, the current political-economic system would collapse.
Which is why John Lennon was a radical.
Radicals, whether on the left or the right, are those who challenge the prevailing system itself and tend to have one of two agendas: 1) Destruction of the prevailing system or 2) the creation of an alternative system. They’re not interested in little “c” change. They don’t want different or “better” rules. They want a different game.
Lennon pursued the latter, a new game. He demonstrated how the pursuit of good is different than the fight against injustice.

Salon says that the author is a 22 year veteran of political writing, policy consulting, and lobbying. Is her analysis of Lennon's legacy any more valid than mine? Especially, how does her rejection of reforms in favor of revolution compare to someone who spent their life fighting for justice within the system? As stated above, a living John Lennon is not and never was part of my conscious life. Is your life worth embracing the unknown of revolution and radicalism?