This official John Lennon video for "Happy Xmas (WAR IS OVER)," the 1971 antiwar anthem from John and Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band (which was flagged last year on YouTube as age-restricted and possibly upsetting to some viewers), needs to be unflinchingly looked at now more than ever. If ever there was a year where we needed to stare such loss and pain and global horror squarely in the face, it is 2020.
And, the simple yet profound message of the song (and the accompanying War is Over billboard campaign) still rings true. All this horror can be over "if we want it," when we have the collective will to make it so.
Please, for the love of all that is decent, let us work to build a far better, more humane, safer, and more equitable world in 2021 and beyond.
Another year over
A new one just begun
