Lennon’s music a wake-up call

Re: “Lennon Came Here to Scream,” April 29: Thank you for Randall Roberts’ article on my uncle, [psychologist] Art Janov. Art was not always easy to get along with and neglected his relationship with my mother for most of my adult life. He was also blinded by having the right “answers” to mental illness without considering contrary views or evidence. What he did give us, however, is a clear grasp of the primacy of human feeling to shape life, and the recognition that emotional pain in childhood has a profound influence on us as adults. Adults can’t escape the impact of their childhoods no matter how hard they try. Pills, booze, drugs, compulsive sex and violence only postpone the pain and vulnerability of primal hurt.

John Lennon reflected what Art knew: abandoning children — physically or mentally — has a lifelong impact on their wellbeing. John transformed his pain, our pain, into Plastic Ono Band. He lived with the pain of his mother’s abandonment his entire life. His music is a wake-up call for us all — for our species — to pay closer attention to your children, cuddle them, be gentle and talk with them, and slow down to help them feel wanted. Let go of your cell phones and learn from your children the vulnerability that you want to forget.

John’s music is a reminder of our essence as creatures driven by our capacity to feel and the need for love, real love, day in and day out. Craig Brod Portland, Ore.