Love is the Weapon

 

A way to deal with the violence, hatred, war

By Tom Read

Tom’s reason for writing this song:

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think 2015 was a particularly good year. From terrorist attacks and war, to the biggest refugee crisis in history. We’ve been sold fear, prejudice, and hatred by the media, politicians, presidential hopefuls, and other prominent leaders. All the while children are gunned down in their classrooms, and others are washed up on beaches.

The problems we are facing as a planet are huge, and I don’t pretend that there are any easy answers. The older I get, the less certain of things I become. I simply don’t have the words to explain away our problems. But I am sure of one thing: fear and hate are never the solution. History has proven it time and time again.

I’ve said before that I process life through music, and when I write songs I like to ask myself questions. Some of you may find the images in this video offensive, either for what they depict, or for what they represent. I think that’s ok. We should be offended by images of violence, hatred, and war, and we should be asking ourselves, “is there another way… a better way?”

I’m sure there will be many who will say that I’m naive, or perhaps that I’m a dreamer. I’m ok with that too. As the great Martin Luther King Jr once said: “I have decided to stick with love, for hate is too great a burden to bear”