Another Christmas and New Year has passed by to Lennon's hymm to a better humanity. Has it inspired us to act or merely provided regular 3-minute flights of fantasy about what could be if someone else did something?
Is our insistence on positive thinking simply a way to maintain our priveleged status quo, a status quo that cripples the lives of so many others?
If we want a world of peace that makes us feel less anxious, we need to face up to the harsh realities of the systems we’ve created and ask what we can do and give to make them fairer. We can all contribute, today, as citizens, consumers and investors, as workers and as professionals in government, industry and education, and as loved ones and influencers amongst our families and friends.
So here's a reimagined version of John Lennon's beautiful song, asking us to first dwell on today's realities in order to realize his vision.
Imagine living in a war zone
It’s easy if you try
No safety around us
Above us, only bombs
Imagine all the people
Screaming, crying, dying.
Imagine living in a country
You can never leave
No schools, no jobs to go to
No prospects, too.
Imagine all the people
Living in despair.
You may say I’m a killjoy
Positive thinking’s what we need
But we’ve been dreaming for so long
Helping no one but ourselves.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
Instead of wanting all you see
Be content with what you have.
Leave enough for others
Sharing all the world.
You may say I’m a downer.
But why do you turn away?
Be brave, face your complicity
And give to the world as one.
Together, we've got this.
1. See the work of Gabriele Oettingen (1999, 2009) into positive future fantasy and mental contrasting.
Louise Rapaud
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