Lennon Lessons

 

Samantha, my former Rockhurst roommate, hates surprises.  She and our other former roommate, Kara, came to visit me in Prague this past weekend, which was wonderful because I have been missing my friends from Rockhurst.  All day Saturday Sam kept trying to get me to tell her what we were going to be doing that night, or at least say what was in my bag of “supplies.”  But I was absolutely not about to ruin one of my favorite Prague sites for her (and I think she would agree that it was worth the wait): the Lennon Wall.

 

The Lennon Wall is a long wall near the river that is covered in graffiti—but not just random vandalism; it has a history behind it.  During the communist regime in Prague, students would stand at that wall and sing songs about love and peace by the Beatles, but they were driven away by the communist authorities.  Students would also paint grievances against the regime on the wall, along with poems, flowers, and messages of love and peace, only to find the wall painted white again the next day.   

The site has definitely become a major tourist attraction, and visitors come armed with brushes or spray paint to graffiti their own messages of love and peace on the symbolic wall.  I couldn’t miss out on this opportunity, and I figured my friends would enjoy it, so I found some paint and brushes and took them to the wall at night when I knew it wouldn’t be crowded.

Judging by the fact that we went through two tubes of paint and then some, I think the venture was a success.  All of us wanted to cover all of our bases with sources of love in our lives, so we had a Rockhurst symbol, an Alpha Sigma Alpha symbol, names of our family members, a quote from a book, a prayer from my high school, and more. 

I love Prague’s unique history.  Love is a universal theme about which you could write any number of quotes on any number of walls, but there is something distinct about this particular wall.  You are more than just a vandal or a tourist with a paintbrush at this wall—you are honoring a tradition of students (who were my age!) who believed in peace and freedom with a passion that someone like me who has been raised in a country has hardly known anything but fr cannot fully understand. 

My next related project: get to the embassy and vote—a great way to honor students in all different places and times who have fought (sometimes with paint) for democracy. 



 

"Sacred heart of Jesus...I place my trust in you" - the best lesson I know about love.  More pics to follow once I can get them from Kara's camera...