As I was listening to my Pandora Station (Pandora is a free music service that helps you
listen to and discover new music) today. I listened intently to John Lennon’s Imagine. I’ve always had a hard time making sense of this song. Do I like the lyrics or not? I’ll analyze it for you as I did today.
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
Well, this would be a world without morality. Why be good if there are no consequences for bad behavior. Take what you want, live with only your own interests in mind. I guess this is the world of today’s banking executives who made lots of risky loans and took huge bonuses, knowing there was a great risk that at some point their companies would fail and their investors would be out huge amounts of money. It’s okay, they were 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
I’m not sure why a lack of geo-political borders or religion would lead to peace. After all most religion teaches people to be peaceful. People would just fight over something else. They ideas of nothing to kill or die for and living in peace are great but without a heaven or hell why not kill? Without governments to enforce laws or religion to teach morality we would have chaos, not peace.
The natural tendency of man is to ask in his own best interest, not in the interest of others. We can see in the first chapter of Alma what happens to those who have no law enforcement or religion. I’ll give you a hint, it isn’t peace and harmony.
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Yes, he is a dreamer. I like the ends, but the means he proposes are wrong.
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
Now, there is an awesome idea. I suppose this is all going to happen spontaneously? No, it could only happen under the guidance of a loving heavenly father and an understanding of our divine ancestry and potential.
You may say that 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
John, you aren’t the only dreamer. Jesus had a dream with the same ending.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the cevil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast asent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
John 17: 15-23
Happy Birthday Charles Darwin! 200 years. There was an interesting discussion on NPR last night and again this morning about religion and Darwin. He struggled with the religion question and delayed releasing his findings until he was sure of the science. They suggester perhaps he was concerned for the ridicule he (and his wife) would receive which ma have delayed his releasing his findings.