Imagine-it’s John Lennon’s Birthday!

My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all. —John Lennon

A barrage of birthday messages for John Lennon splashed across social media this morning, providing an opportunity to ponder what the ex-Beatle would have made of them were he alive today.

Born on Oct. 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, Lennon famously favoured the quiet life – that of a “house husband” with wife Yoko Ono and son Sean – during his final years. Today would have marked his 73rd birthday.

While Lennon didn’t indulge much in his “celebrity status” in later life, he’d probably be thrilled to know that, 33 years after his passing, new generations of fans are ensuring that his music and mantra of “Give Peace a Chance” continue to “shine on.”