What do you think John Lennon was saying exactly in his song "Imagine"?

Question

I mean, if you take it literal he's imagining a world with nothing worth fighting for....right? But I think there's another meaning.

Answer 1

I think his experience led to a firm belief that the differences between people are more perceived than real. I think, also, that he saw these perceived differences as being 'forced downward' on masses who had little or no interaction with people different than themselves. Therefore, it's easy to hate what you don't know or to consider it threatening, without being engaging and taking the initiative to find out for yourself who your friends and true enemies are.

I think the song implored the listener to imagine rather than to react. After all, the greatest inventions and innovative concepts came from imagination (not just looking at what was done in the past and perpetuating it without adding value).

If you can imagine, you are half way to DOING. The song can be a metaphor for parallel thinking (i.e. your normal thinking is "wake up, brush teeth, shower, breakfast, commute, work, lunch, work, commute, home, email, etc." where imaginative thinking may also include "charity, learning, community activity, helping, trying something different in a positive way, reaching out beyond your comfort zone, progressing/evolving as a person/mind".

He had a leg up in that he was a performer and gazillionaire, but he took that opportunity and used it to absorb the world around him (until his untimely death).

But in this day and age, imagination isn't enough, you have to go out of your way and DO something or someone will DO IT to you and you may not like it as much. The days of dreaming are long gone, it's show time, and many of us haven't the slightest idea what trouble may lie ahead or what we can possibly do to re-write our current stories to something more positive and enlightening. Imagination helps there too, I guess he meant to say: dare to think and be different... if done on a global scale, it could change the way things are going, for the better.

Answer 2

It's Communist. Just look at the lyrics

"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 / No religion too / Imagine all the people / Living life in peace / 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 / You may say 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."

Regarding "Imagine," John Lennon once admitted, "the song ... is virtually a communist manifesto, even though I am not particularly a communist and I do not belong to any movement. You see, ?Imagine' was exactly the same message, but sugar-coated. Now, ?Imagine' is a big hit almost everywhere -- anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it is sugar-coated it is accepted. Now I understand what you have to do. Put your political message across with a little honey."

Answer 3

he just wanted world peace. An ideal world with no fighting between people, some where beautiful and safe for us all to live. How beautiful that would be!

Answer 4

I think he was saying for us to imagine everyone getting along and there being peace............. He was pretty much sounding like a Miss United States Contestant. lol

Answer 5

His message in that song is crystal clear. It was his beliefs that this world would be better off if everthing wasn't so 'labeled' as theirs, ours, and mine. I belive that song has the best message of all time.

Answer 6

You should watch the movie " Forrest Gump" I think your question gets answered.

Answer 7

Peace, an absence of strife, so much of which is motivated by religions........... it would be nice if there was no religion in that respect.

Answer 8

That Communism is great.

Answer 9

"Communism is cool."
He was wrong.