# Imagine **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 2, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imagine/267164 "2004-10-02T06:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2004, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imagine/267164/1 "2004-10-02T06:45:18Z")
This thread got me wondering … > **[Why no uproar about John Lennon’s “Imagine”?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=278691)** > > John Lennon’s “Imagine” started 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... Could our world exist without religions, without countries, without possessions, etc., etc., as Lennon suggests in the song “Imagine”? I think not, I think the song is talking about some ideal world where everyone would pull their own weight, not be greedy, and generally get along with each other. I say it can’t be done. I’m sure there has been plenty of literature written on the subject. What’s your opinion? Also, any cites to appropriate literature would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imagine/267164/2 "2004-10-03T13:07:38Z")
Imagine: The [url=]social libertarian’s anthem. I’m an anarchist at heart (isn’t _everybody_?), but I’m afraid that humanity is not yet ready for it. Were _Imagine_ to come into effect tomorrow, great suffering would result: far _greater_ than that extant in the world right now, IMO. I believe that anarchy will _one day_ be realistic (think Iain M. Banks’ _Culture_), and that social democracy is the quickest, most painless way to get there. Ultimately, I think that nations and possessions will only become historical curiosities if they are _voted_ into history. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imagine/267164/3 "2004-10-03T13:09:57Z")
Sorry, [social libertarian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_socialism) link. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imagine/267164/4 "2004-10-03T22:10:48Z")
Imagine a man with millions of dollars singing about a world with “no possessions.” The world Lennon describes is Eden-like, in the sense that’s it’s placid, unchanging, uninteresting, etc. It might have seemed like a nice alternative to the reality that existed at the time (i.e. the Vietnam War), but it’s essentially a vapid song with a pleasant thought repetitious melody. My guess is that world _could_ exist, if the human population was reduced to one person, rendering moot the concepts of possession, religion etc. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imagine/267164/5 "2004-10-03T22:39:39Z")
I’ve always taken his sentiment to be entirely fanciful - what he’s singing about is totally unrealistic, not what he desires - it’s merely him indicating what he thinks causes all the trouble. As for the OP, You really need to define your terms. How would Lennon’s imaginings be realized? Would they happen spontaneously, or by coercion? I would imagine that, if utterly impossible thing #1 were achievable, it’s quite possible that utterly impossible thing #2 would occur.