In 1969, Yoko Ono and John Lennon used their marriage as a platform to promote their political views. During their honeymoon, they staged a two weeklong bed-in in Amsterdam in order to encourage peace and express their disapproval about the Vietnam War in a non-violent way.
Yoko Ono turns 80 today, and she is once again using the milestones in her life to talk about the things that are important to her. On the eve of her birthday, she and her son Sean Lennon gave a sell-out concert in Berlin, closing with the anthemic song “Give Peace A Chance.” The activist says she still deeply believes that “we have to stand up and change the world” if we want to live in one defined by peace and community rather than violence and separatism.
Though she continues to oppose wars, she has turned much of her attention to opposing fracking. This controversial method of extracting energy from deep underground has been known to pollute drinking water and possibly increase risks of earthquakes. “Fracking is an incredible risk to the human race,” Ono said. “I don’t know why they even thought of doing it.”
On a more personal level, the philanthropist said of making it to the eight decade mark, “I’m surprised. It is a miracle in a sense that I am 80, I am proud about it. Not everybody gets there.”
