Imagine...

Technorati tags: In Memoriam, Birthday, John Lennon, Imagine

Imagine, if he were still alive today, and brought Google up on his browser (yesterday, and likely for the rest of the weekend). This is what he would see.

Clicking on the “Play” icon placed where the “e” would normally be, imagine the expression on his face when he sees this played.

But then again, because he was such an enigmatic character, it would really be hard to imagine exactly how he would have felt about the Google and YouTube tributes.
(we too can Imagine, and more, in the full post)

Those of you born after 1980 may or may not know who this tribute is for.

Had he been alive, John Lennon would have turned 70 today. Being born in the 60’s, The Beatles were very much a part of the popular music landscape when Walski was growing up. Lennon was one of the Fab Four, and arguably the more iconic songwriter of the Lennon/McCartney team, responsible for penning most of The Beatles songs.

Or at least that’s what Walski thinks. Nothing against Paul McCartney, a fantastic songwriter and musician in his own right, but Lennon’s lyrical prowess, coupled with his passion for peace, resonated with many around the same age group as Walski.

Yes, Lennon was an idealist, and in a world becoming increasingly conservative (even then), was also a controversial figure at times. “Give Peace A Chance”, written in 1969 remains today an anthem for anti-war activists the world over.

Walski imagines that if he were still alive, Lennon would be as outspoken today, just as he was back then. And perhaps, within conservative circles, just as hated. 

But John Lennon was a lot of things – songwriter, poet, musician… a true all-around artist. He was also an activist who was anti-war, and very much pro-peace. And Imagine, the song that’s synonymous with Lennon, articulates his dream and hope for a peaceful world.

The world today, though, is the antithesis of Lennon’s dream. And what Walski imagines is that John Lennon, were he to be alive today, would be sad to see what the world has come to. And would probably have more than a few words to say about it, it asked.

If you read through the lyrics of Imagine, many of the things Lennon imagined his idealized world to be without are the very things that seem to be the root cause of why we fight one another. Namely: sovereignty, religion, and greed.

Sovereignty dichotomizes the world, creating artificial boundaries that divide us. Protecting those boundaries can sometime lead to hate, and to war. Religion, which some people argue would result in a chaotic world if it were non-existent, is in fact a factor why we fight with each other. And greed begets more greed, an endless cycle that sometimes drives people to do unconscionable things to one another, and to mother Earth.

It does make Walski wonder sometimes – would the world be a better place if these three things were non-existent? Would we hate less, and love our fellow human beings more?

Truth be told, Walski doesn’t know the answer. But just as Lennon did, we too can Imagine…

John Lennon: October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980
Imagine… Peace… Always…