“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
~John Lennon*
*Died: December 8, 1980
A Pondering Mind 
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So perfectly said
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True that
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“Perfect love casts out fear.” My one real epiphany (which I wish had occurred when I was young): All of our conflicts, both intra- and interpersonal, are rooted in fear: of not having enough, of not being good enough, of being humiliated, of losing face, of uncertainty, of the Other, of not being in control . . . Love and forgive ourselves and others unconditionally, and fear vanishes. Heaven on Earth is a possibility. Imagine. In the ’60s, John Lennon was the U.S.’s Great Satan for saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus; his future assassin claimed to have been incensed by the remark. Lennon’s words, repeated on the evening news, stirred up a lot of fear. But–some of his other words echo and expand upon those found in the New Testament. All that album-burning on insufficient evidence. If we’d had the Internet then, perhaps the quotation in your post would have gone viral. (Some would claim that I cited an incomplete Scripture and that in context, my reading proves too broad. That’s okay, too. I’m working on humility.)
Well, even if you choose not to post my long and self-indulgent comment, thank you for giving me the opportunity to express an opinion (to see what I say so I’ll know what I think). Disclaimer: I’m old enough to have been a Beatles fan, but I wasn’t.
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Thank you, Kathy, for a well thought out comment. I too am of age to remember the Beatles and liked most of their music. Of was born 15 years before they appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, which was a day or two after my birthday. As far as John Lennon’s comment, I took it at face value. That’s how I am.
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Well said. He is so missed 🙂 ❤️
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I still miss him.
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