Last night, my family and I attended a concert by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, where they played the music of the Beatles. My favorite song of the evening wasn't a Beatles song - it was Imagine, by John Lennon. Voted as the 3rd greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004, Imagine was written and released in the midst of the Vietnam War. It's an understated, yet elegant song that is anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, and anti-war:
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
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
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
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
Lennon's message is simple, short and powerful, proving yet again that classic communication adage . . .
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