Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin’ for today
Ah
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin’ life in peace
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Imagine – John Lennon. 1971
I have a theory. If we were to invite Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Xi Jinping, Kim Jung Un, and Joe Biden over to my house for some BBQ ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and brisket, along with smoked mac & cheese, baked beans, and creamed corn, we could achieve world peace. Of course, there would have to be some beer, ample time to throw the frisbee for our dogs Rusty and Shiloh, and of course some good music by Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett. There would be no talk of politics, wars, world conquest, or violence. Everyone would simply be a good human and treat each other as such.
You may say I’m a dreamer…
I’ve discovered that the nicest people on the planet are dog people and BBQ people. Each time I compete in a contest, I’m always amazed at how BBQ brings people together and makes them happy. After all, BBQ is ultimately a comfort food. It makes everyone happy! It’s the same when you visit a dog park. There are no strangers in a dog park. Imagine combining those two wonderful ideas?
Right now, it’s hard to imagine (sorry John) that humans could ever be at peace with each other. Russia is fighting with Ukraine. North Korea keeps testing missiles. China is threatening Taiwan. In the USA, neighbors are fighting with neighbors over everything from politics to property lines. If you watch or read the news, it’s always bad.
John Lennon viewed the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s differently. He described the song’s meaning and explained its appeal. In his opinion, the song was “anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugarcoated it is accepted … Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey.” Lennon was adamant that things needed to change. But in a peaceful way.
We don’t do much of that do we? Most of us spend our time trying to find the faults in everyone else’s arguments, opinions, and ideas.
But what if we imagined life without that focus? What if we simply connected with people instead of trying to convince them, convert them, or corrupt them?
Imagine a world where humans chose to unite over what they have in common instead of divide over what they differ in?
Imagine…and then do something about it!
I think this song is as relevant today as it was in 1971. Maybe this week let’s start by engaging a stranger in conversation. Listen to them. View them as a fellow human instead of someone we would typically ignore. I have no choice but to imagine something positive. My kids and grandkids are going to have to navigate the world we leave for them. I want to do what I can to help improve the situation for them. Would you join me?
What do you imagine?