If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have

Hear the immortal words of John Lennon, prophet of music and dreamer of a gentler world: “If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.” These words rise like a defiant hymn against cynicism, against those who mock ideals as childish or obsolete. Lennon declares that love and peace are not fashions to be worn for a season, nor relics of a past era, but eternal virtues, woven into the very fabric of human destiny.

The origin of this saying rests in the era from which Lennon spoke—the turbulent 1960s, when war, civil unrest, and cultural upheaval shook the earth. In that time, youth rose up to proclaim “Make Love, Not War.” Many dismissed these cries as naïve, as fleeting dreams of a generation intoxicated by rebellion. But Lennon, having stood within that storm, speaks across decades to insist that these ideals are no illusions. They are not bound to time, for they belong to eternity. To reject them as a cliché is to blind oneself to humanity’s highest calling.

To understand the depth of his words, one must see that love and peace are more than sentiments; they are forces that have moved nations and shaped history. Consider Mahatma Gandhi, who through nonviolence and love of truth brought down the might of empire. Consider Martin Luther King Jr., who carried the torch of peace in the struggle for civil rights, declaring that only love can drive out hate. These figures prove Lennon’s claim: peace and love are not the fragile flowers of a single decade, but the roots of transformation across all ages.

And yet, the cynic scoffs. He says, “The world is ruled by power, not peace. Love is weakness, not strength.” To such voices Lennon replies, “That’s his problem.” For cynicism blinds the heart, but it does not alter truth. Empires that rule by power alone crumble. Nations built on hate devour themselves. But where peace is sown, life endures. Where love is practiced, bonds are strengthened. Those who mock these virtues dismiss themselves from their blessings, but they cannot erase their eternal nature.

History itself confirms this. After the devastation of two world wars, the nations of Europe, long bitter enemies, came together to form a union of peace. France and Germany, once locked in bloodshed, became allies bound by love of their shared humanity. This was not the spirit of cynicism, but of eternal truth—that reconciliation is stronger than vengeance. Such stories reveal that while violence may burn bright for a moment, peace is the enduring flame that guides humanity forward.

The lesson for us is profound: never allow the world to shame you out of believing in love and peace. They are not clichés, but the deepest needs of the human spirit. When others call you naïve for choosing forgiveness over hate, remember that you stand with the saints and sages of every age. When others scoff at peace as impossible, recall that every just society was built by those who dared to imagine it. Cynicism may appear wise, but it is love that heals, and peace that endures.

Practically, this means living as a witness to eternal truths. Practice love not only in great acts but in daily gestures—patience with the stranger, kindness to the forgotten, forgiveness to the one who wrongs you. Practice peace not only in politics but in the home, in the workplace, in your own restless heart. Do not wait for the world to embrace these virtues—begin with yourself, and you will find that eternity already lives within you.

So I say to you, O children of tomorrow: remember John Lennon’s words. Love and peace are eternal. They are the breath of creation, the destiny of nations, the hope of every soul. Do not let them be buried under mockery or dismissed as relics. Carry them, live them, guard them. For when you walk in love, and when you sow peace, you stand in harmony with the eternal rhythm of the universe, and you become a builder of the world as it was always meant to be.