Imagine: What's That All About Then?

[Si Hunt]

A lot of people seem curiously confused by the meaning of John Lennon's famous "Imagine" song, and seem to think it's pro-Religion. Anyone here think that (the opposite seems obvious to me)?

What do you think John was trying to say in this song?

Si.

[SiHart]

I think it's a passionate, but naive call for everyone to make a stand and make the world a better place. We can do it if we're less selfish and we all stand together as one- that would give the human race to make all the changes to this worl that need making- no more hunger, no more poverty, no more prejudice. It's not about religion as such, more ageneral belief in the goodness of humanity that just needs a push- someone to imagine if you will- that it could happen.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

It seems to me to imply that if there was no heaven people would "live for today" and ergo that that would be a good thing? To me, that seems to suggest very strongly that religion is the cause of something bad (people NOT living for today, which is what the song is imagining).

Si.

[Carol Baynes]

As I've often said, spirituality and religion parted company a long time ago, but that is a general view. With religion, it's the huge institutions that seem to attractthe worst criticism (rightly in my opinion), for reasons aplanty. ("What reasons?" I can hear at least one poster cry already- one thing at a time!)

Firstly, I'd say 'not living for today' (as in not appreciating every moment) can occur with or withour religion. But some of the more dogmatic faiths perhaps don't help.

John was trying to say you don't need that kind of religion to make the world a better place; on the contrary it may get in the way.

[Si Hunt]

I agree. I think.

Si.

[Paul Monk]

Courtsey of
http://www.triumphpc.com/johnlennon/

Lets ask the man himself

Me: What is the meaning of Imagine?

Lennon: Give me a sec.

See even he doesn't know.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I always find Imagine a very emotional song - I remember the kind of huge impact of the day John Lennon died, and just how numb it really felt. It was the song that got played a lot, and so it echoes with sadness that day to me.

But it's John Lennons signature song, a hymn to everything he really believed. Don't just accept the world around you, imagine what it could be like. Question, imagine, believe.

In a way it attacks religion and countries, but it's attacking institutions in the early 70s people were perhaps having a tendency of blindly believing and going along with. Today we're used to not trusting and questioning our world and spiritual leaders, and some people say that's a bad thing, that we're just cynical. But some of the 20th Centuries worst disasters were caused because people just went along with what they were told and not questioned ...

Mind you perhaps when we're just used to the weekly stories from Iraq and Afghanistan telling us another few soldiers have died in combat, and just tune it out, perhaps we're really not as savvy as we'd like to think ...

[Mr BHT]

I've heard the unnoficial slogan for John Lennon airport is 'Imagine No Possessions' lol

[Captain Tancredi]

The official one is "Above us only sky", which must do wonders for anybody who was nervous about flying to begin with.

Another point from my parents' experience is that post-war Liverpool was quite a sectarian city in the way that Glasgow and Belfast can still be. Whether you were Protestant or Catholic (as determined by your surname or the school you went to) determined which department of the council you worked in, or the street where you lived. It was an issue to my grandma's brothers that one of them (Ron) decided to become a Catholic in order to marry his wife- so much so that Ron's twin brother Don (yes, I know...) never spoke to him again until the day Ron died. There's no way John Lennon could have avoided that, and along with everybody else in the city he would have been very much aware of how the pettiness and dogma of religion divide people when the great spiritual teachers have all preached peace and unity.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I've heard the unnoficial slogan for John Lennon airport is 'Imagine No Possessions' lol

That I have to say I found really funny!

As my sister-in-law used to work there, it's probably all too true!

Listening to the song, it's an amazing haunting song, as I said for those of us who were around for his death, it's kind of synonymous with his death. And yet, it's a relatively simple song as well, no temptation to put in an orchestra or singing frogs there ...

[Jon Masters]

Don't know - never listened to it long enough to follow the words, given its dreary plodding unimaginative 'melody'

[Paul Monk]

Its a fact, Lennon and McCartney were both rubbish solo.

[Andrew Curnow]

It's an opinion surely, not a fact.

After all, Frog Chorus is... Oh.