AUGUST 2002

Imagine by John Lennon is arguably one of the best pieces of music he ever wrote. (For you young'uns, the complete lyrics are at the end of this article.) Whether you liked the Beatles or not, collectively or individually, this particular composition by Lennon strikes all the right chords, pun intended, for a compassionate secular humanist. He managed to say so much using so few words, which of course is the sign of a good writer. In precisely 100 words (with one refrain repeated) John Lennon was able to embody the entire uplifting philosophy of a secular, peaceful, cooperative world. No easy feat.

Imagine opens with:

I only wish. In a world that has been saturated throughout history with fervent wishes about some kind of afterlife, it's not as easy as it should be. Nevertheless, try it. Imagine not only that there is no heaven, but that no one believes there is. Think how that would change everything! If there are no eternal "rewards" we would all be doing good for the sake of goodness.

We now know what is below us—the Earth's core. It's hot as hell so to speak, and occasionally the enormous pressures build up to the point where fiery magma bursts out of volcanoes in frightening and devastating displays. This of course is where the myth of a "hell below" came from. Early humans had no idea why mountains would suddenly explode or the skies suddenly lash out with thunder and lightning and icy rains. But today we understand these things. So instead of blaming invisible, furiously irate gods, we can instead take care to avoid injury as much as possible from sudden hurricanes and earthquakes and so on. Then we can move on to enjoying nature's benevolent, glorious wonders: the mighty Redwoods, so tall you can't see their tops, the fragrance of gardenias after a gentle shower, and the sight of a hummingbird hovering at a blossom; the magenta sunsets, the star-studded Milky Way that leaves you hushed with awe, the white, puffy clouds being gently urged across a brilliant blue sky at midday, and the first snowflakes of winter gently touching down on the tree branches. There is plenty below us and above us—the skies with all their marvels and the earth just waiting to grow bountiful, beautiful, life-giving vegetation.

It is difficult to imagine anything more wonderful. Instead of spending a lifetime looking over your shoulder, worrying if you've pleased your imaginary gods enough or courted your imaginary devils too much, imagine just living. Living for today, because that always has been and always will be where we live—today. That doesn't mean no plans need be made for the future; of course they must. But imagine really and truly living in today. Very few people even take notice of today, spending most of their time looking to yesterday or worrying about tomorrow. Today is a nice place to be, if only we'd see it.

This one is a bit more difficult because no one alive today has any memory of a world without borders and boundaries. Still, since this is all about imagination, try at least to imagine such a thing. The Planet Earth—all one place. The only things dividing us would be our various climates. Everything else about us would be the same—our striving for health, happiness and the same for our much loved, much wanted children. Someone once said that there could be no peace on earth until everyone was light brown. Perhaps a century ago that seemed logical. No more. Jet travel and television ended that provincial wisdom.

This is a Biggie. But it's a glorious dream. Nothing to kill or die for. What a concept. Of course nationalism and religion have always provoked wars. In fact it's difficult to think back on any war that was not motivated by national disputes or religions or both. I can think of no war in history that was brought about by one group of people not liking, say, another group's preferences in hat colors.

John really handed us a challenge, huh? Once again, though, while the term "difficult" comes to mind rather quickly, "impossible" should not. We do ourselves an injustice if we cannot imagine ourselves getting along with each other. The burdens placed on all of us by religions, poverty, racism and territorial greed make life on earth like living in a pressure cooker. Somethin's gotta give. And that's the whole point. Take those horrific pressures off and see what happens. I can vaguely imagine it. Can you?

This is not as difficult as it is bizarre. I'd feel naked without my wristwatch. For that matter I'd feel naked without my clothes. On the other hand, if our possessions were only what we actually needed, what a strange world it would be. Most of us are used to the capitalist system so it is almost impossible to conceive of having no possessions. But imagine—there would be no TV commercials! Of course there might not be any TVs either. This is without a doubt the pristine idea behind communism and while it looks terrific on paper it is not quite so easy in real life. If Farmer John wants to spend all day drinking whisky while Farmer Juan wants to work the land all day to the best of his ability, do we still feed Farmer John? That's where communism fails. It does not take into account that most important element needed to promote human endeavors—incentive. Possessions of some kind will probably always be necessary. Although Americans have taken that concept to preposterous heights.

There really is no need for greed or hunger and it is to our shame that we haven't figured that out yet. Incentive is one thing. Corporate robbery is quite another. Again, though, if we humans were brought up with a sense of real family values you can't help but wonder if greed or hunger would ever exist. I'm not talking about that sadistic, child-frightening, "God'll burn you in hell forever if you don't follow these rules!" I'm talking about genuine love, sharing and laughter. The real family values.

We already share all the world, but we're doing a rotten job of it. The portions of it that we're not blowing to smithereens we're poisoning and robbing blind. But imagine diverting every single dollar, right this moment, from all military purposes, and instead devoting them to R & D for: solar, wind and geothermal power; medical research; increasing farm output safely without harming the environment; and cleaning the air and water—everywhere. The bittersweet thing about this dream is that we have had these abilities for decades. Imagine if we chose to utilize them. The mind boggles.

No, John Lennon was not the only one. Millions share those dreams. I have for as long as I was old enough to think about them. Countless others do as well. Our hope may lie in that single fact.

Our potential is not unlimited but it is vast. There is so much we can do, so very much, to make this world, if not perfect, at least safer, healthier, cleaner and a hell of a lot more fun. John Lennon may have been expressing a melancholy, illusory dream. But we have it in us to live that way. We do. We have as many kind thoughts as ugly ones, and the more kindness that fills the world the more lopsided that lovely ratio would become. Love begets love. Just imagine if we truly lived like that. Imagine.

© 2002 Judith Hayes

________________

IMAGINE

by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

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
Living life in peace...

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 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 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
______________________

"I would rather be remembered by a song than by a victory."

Alexander Smith (1830-67), Scottish poet.

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