Can you imagine a better world?
There was an entire generation that dared to do just that. To imagine a different world. A better one.
I am part of that generation. Our legacy of images and music from the late 1960s and early 1970s stands. It persists even in contemporary consciousness.
It was a troubled time, and a fertile one. A period in history when idealism was not a source of embarrassment. We genuinely believed that we might eventually live without war, without divisiveness.
The words are simple and striking. John Lennon’s Imagine:
Imagine all the people… living life in peace.
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
I hope some day you join us…
And the world will be as one.
Today is John Lennon’s 70th birthday. Imagine if he had lived to see it. Imagine if we weren’t driven by despair, by envy, by hatred. Imagine if the differences in religion did not divide us. If we saw their commonalities, and celebrated coexistence.
Artistic legacy
I recall Lennon’s legacy in the making, a period of rebellion, of optimism, the conviction that we could build a more compassionate world. For all of today’s focus on “presence,” the late 1960s and 1970s truly practiced it, for some of us.
All these years later, I still believe in the beauty that human beings can create, and in our capacity to reach out as a single human community. Here. Now. In this life.
Idealistic?
Yes, it is.
But just imagine what that might be like.
Enjoy this music video from 1971, on YouTube.
You should check out Google’s homepage (classic not iGoogle). Click on the logo. Very cool.
Very cool indeed!
I can imagine. I remember those days of idealism well, and I still nurture that dream. Although I think it’s tarnishing a bit; there seems not to be much of the “world will be as one”.
I refuse to give it up. John Lennon was onto something that will not die. That’s the meaning I give to the notion of resurrection.
And, speaking of resurrection all you resurrection deniers, try listening to this and see if it seems more real.
I think in my heart that I was meant to live in such a time. Sadly I wasn’t yet a twinkle in my parents eye. I wish we could capture that feeling now. I wish it for my children.
I really don’t know why all that creative energy and idealistic enthusiasm was left back in the 70s. If ever there was a time to create and protest and raise your voice — and to stand together — it would be now.
You’re right, Kelly. The time to raise our voices to make good things happen is always “now.” Perhaps as we get a little older, we channel the creative energy differently. All the more reason for each generation to do their part.
Imagine…indeed. I remember driving home on a December night in 1982. It was dark and cold for San Diego, and the news that John Lennon had been killed came on the radio. He was forty. Forty… I’m forty-seven. Impossible to imagine.
I am big fan of The Beatles but frankly I think that Lennon has been graced by the beauty of memory. His murder was tragic, but not necessarily more so than so many others.
I like the sentiment of Imagine and think that it is worth pursuing, but I don’t expect that we will ever see a time like that. Human nature is human nature.
We have to, right?
Perhaps our ultimate limit is the limit of what we can imagine.
Now that I’ve achieved a minimum skill level at guitar (40+ yr old neurons be damned), I find most of the songs I enjoy playing are Lennon songs. On Oct 9th, I had the pleasure of jamming with some friends singing his songs, a great way to celebrate his contributions. We ended up playing “You’ve got to hide your love away”, “Help!”, “If I Fell” (my personal favourite), “Little Help from my Friends”, “Ballad of John and Yoko”, “Imagine” and even “Merry Xmas (War is Over)”. Hopefully it becomes an annual event with us.
That’s sounds like a glorious day of truly classic music, Batticus. And a wonderful annual event, indeed.