George Harrison, 1943-2001

Here Comes the Sun

I woke up this morning to the news on my radio that George Harrison had indeed finally succumbed to cancer. It was hard news to awake to. I thought about my Aunt Carol. She taught me to love the Beatles and their music as I was growing up and I've been listening to them ever since. I'm sure it was hard news for her, too.

Of all the Beatles, I considered George my favorite. I particularly admired his artistic integrity and social conscience. I respected and admired, too, his intense spirituality. George Harrison was and will always be an incredible artistic, social and spiritual influence on our world.

I remember once seeing an interview with him about his experience of 1967's "Summer of Love." I think that it best expressed all that I admired about him. The reporter asked if he still believed that "love was all you need." Without skipping a beat, Harrison's response was an emphatic "yes!"

In a year of turmoil and strife, his death was hard news to take. In some ways it is more shocking than that of John Lennon. Harrison died not at the hands of some random crazy assassin, but simply because he had reached the limits of life. We want life to go on and on. And we want to live fully, joyfully and deeply. People like George Harrison help us to do that. And it's hard when they go on ahead of us.

I don't know about you, but the world seems a little colder and darker to me today.

Scott Hoffman
Contributing writer