Today is the day that John Lennon, acerbic, witty ex-moptop, arguably the biggest klieg light of The Beatles, who unabashedly and boldly tread musical waters and bubbled up emotions and feelings which delighted and in essence influenced an entire globe, was tragically assassinated by a crazed fan back in 1980 in front of his home in New York City.

Since Lennon’s passing, the musician, thanks to the millions upon millions of adoring fans who keep his memory as alive and bright as ten thousand suns, is still one of the most remembered figures not only in music history, but history in general. Lennon led the way by himself for a lot of people who followed him. Like a musical pied piper, John Lennon had and continues to have minions surrounding his legacy, lapping up every shred of his wisdom and creativity, which seemed to pour out of his soul with a relaxed and consistent ease. Of course, stripping down through the layers, he seemed to be a complex man underneath, full of demons and locked doors within himself which only fueled the flames of his creative urges even more. He and his music remain right at the forefront to this day, amidst a sea of ever changing musical styles and sounds, attitudes, flavors, and feelings. Lennon still remains a constant force, regardless of personal opinion about him or his music or his life choices. His inspiration usurped every fabric of his well being and ours in a way, and what remains, even though the man is gone, is the message, to some a corny one, a message of hope, peace, love, understanding, words often misused in today’s climate.

You know his work, you have your own feelings and opinions of the man and his legacy, and whether you like him or love him, adore him or loathe him, feel that he’s a fossil or still a large, eclectic piece of rainbow-laden limestone, one thing is clear after all these years: John Lennon remains a looming presence in the world still, a metaphor for bringing harmony and peace, even if the man himself truly had severe limitations in doing so for himself. Ultimately, his message lives on and of course so does his music.

Celebrate the life and work of John Lennon today. Humanitarian, peacenik, champion to make the world a better place. That’s what you ultimately wanted your President to be when you voted for him a few weeks ago right? What sets Lennon apart is that he was for the world, not just a country. He was for everyone, for all time. John Lennon laid his personal, spiritual, and musical blueprints for humanity, what one now chooses to do with it is up to them. It’s like a gift given to the world, like a message from Gandhi, or John F. Kennedy, or Bob Marley. And ultimately, as he sang in that famous Beatles song, “And you know that can’t be bad.”