Hundreds gather at Strawberry Fields in Central Park to celebrate John Lennon on what would have been his 70th birthday on October 9, 2010 in New York. A number of events are planned worldwide to celebrate Lennon's legacy on his birthday, 30 years after he was shot dead outside his Manhattan apartment in December 1980 (AFP)

The eighth of December might not be a date that many people are immediately familiar with or recognize, but Beatles fans and music aficionados in general recall it almost immediately. John Lennon, an English singer-songwriter and founding member of the massively influential rock band The Beatles, was shot to death thirty years ago on that day in front of his New York City apartment building. He was forty years old.

It was a day that would live on in infamy, effectively symbolizing the end of the cultural revolution of the 1960s that Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono had embraced and celebrated. The massive outpouring of grief and mourning in the ensuing days was not unlike that which occurred after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Over thirty thousand people gathered in Liverpool, the city where Lennon was born, to mourn and memorialize the late musician. Millions more came together in cities all over the globe; Lennon's popularity was not merely relegated to the world of music, but touched people from nearly every walk of life.

Lennon was hardly the first rock star to come to an untimely end, but his death had much farther reaching repercussions than those of his fellow musicians. Lennon was not just a popular and influential singer-songwriter; he was also one of the most well-known and iconic political activists of his time. So powerful was his influence that when he criticized the Vietnam War, the Nixon Administration attempted to have him deported.

His tireless pursuit of a more peaceful and just world was expressed in a variety of ways; Lennon was a modern day Renaissance man of sorts. His paintings, music, writing and film work all allowed him to reach out to a generation of people that were angry, scared and worried about the direction the world seemed to be heading in at the time.

Accordingly, his death at the cusp of a new decade was, in many ways, symbolic of the death of an era. The 1980s, with their celebration of excess and greed, were almost the complete antithesis of what Lennon stood for. And since his death, there has not been another counter-cultural icon quite like him.

The corruption, violence and insanity that Lennon railed against, on the other hand, have gone on unabated. Just a little over 10 years after his death, the United States found itself locked in a deadly conflict in the Middle East. And just 10 years after that, a terrorist attack on American soil would send the world into a frenzy, with wars being waged in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

One has to wonder what Lennon would make of the state of the world today. Always a champion of freedom and equality, it would be interesting to see what Lennon would have to say about things like the Patriot Act, racial profiling and a global War on Terror that is unlike any conflict before it.

Of course, it hasn't been all doom and gloom since Lennon's death. The Internet has provided a revolutionary forum for many groups of people who were previously repressed and unable to give a voice to their frustrations. I think that Lennon would approve of the democratizing effect that the Internet has had on the world. I imagine that the election of the United States' first black president would have also pleased Lennon greatly.

More important than what Lennon might've thought, however, is what Lennon might've done, had he lived to see the world as it is today. Lennon would be 70 years old this year; although old age might've inevitably slowed him down a little, it's more likely that he would still be rousing rabble.

It's quite possible that the citizens of the modern world, besieged by a steady stream of celebrity sound bites and talking heads on a daily basis, would have little care or use for the words of an aging rocker, even one as esteemed as Lennon. The cynicism and distrust that many people have for the rich and famous might extend to Lennon, particularly among a younger generation that are largely unfamiliar with him and his work. It's hard to say just how much influence he could or would have if he were still with us today.

As the anniversary of Lennon's death approaches, millions of fans around the world will once again gather together to remember the life and work of a truly one-of-a-kind artist and individual. Although the world is far from perfect, one can always hope that Lennon's wish for a kinder, more peaceful planet will eventually be fulfilled. Until then, we'll just have to keep imagining.