In 1971, John Lennon expressed his vision of hope, peace, a world free of poverty, a world without countries or religions, through his powerful song “Imagine”. Lennon believed, “we are all one country, one world, one people”.
In the book Lennon in America, by Geoffrey Giuliano, Lennon himself commented that Imagine was an “anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic [song], but because it’s sugar-coated, it’s accepted.”
Decades later, his lyrics continue to influence and inspire.
Imagine
John Lennon
1971
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 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…
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
If You Could Read My Mind, by Gordon Lightfoot, is one of the most covered songs in popular music history, having been recorded by stars like Barbra Streisand, Olivia Newton-John, Duane Steele, Petula Clark, Kenny Rogers, Gene Clark, Don McLean, Liza Minnelli, Johnny Cash, and – in disco versions – by Viola Wills and Stars On 54.
This is one of Lightfoot’s most personal songs, mourned the break up of his first marriage. You can feel his anguish, lost and confusion. He did not know why their feelings for each other were gone, and could never get it back again. He wanted to move on, but like a ghost in a wishing well, his sorrow imprisoned him for life.
If you could read my mind, love,
What a tale my thoughts could tell.
Just like an old time movie,
‘Bout a ghost from a wishing well.
In a castle dark or a fortress strong,
With chains upon my feet.
You know that ghost is me.
And I will never be set free
As long as I’m a ghost that you can’t see.
If I could read your mind, love,
What a tale your thoughts could tell.
Just like a paperback novel,
The kind the drugstores sell.
Then you reached the part where the heartaches come,
The hero would be me.
But heroes often fail,
And you won’t read that book again
Because the ending’s just too hard to take!
I’d walk away like a movie star
Who gets burned in a three way script.
Enter number two:
A movie queen to play the scene
Of bringing all the good things out in me.
But for now, love, let’s be real;
I never thought I could feel this way
And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it.
I don’t know where we went wrong,
But the feeling’s gone
And I just can’t get it back.
If you could read my mind, love,
What a tale my thoughts could tell.
Just like an old time movie,
‘Bout a ghost from a wishing well.
In a castle dark or a fortress strong.
With chains upon my feet.
But stories always end,
And if you read between the lines,
You’d know that I’m just tryin’ to understand
The feelin’s that we lack.
I never thought I could feel this way
And I’ve got to say that I just don’t get it.
I don’t know where we went wrong,
But the feelin’s gone
And I just can’t get it back!
I was at the animal shelter. A noisy demonstation was going on outside.
The shelter has just announced their plan to euthanize 350 of their care, due to an outbreak of ringworm, which actually was not a worm, but a fungal skin condition, a contagious stubborn disease. Yes, it’s treatable, but at great economic cost and manpower.
I saw a puppy, with sad dopey eyes, crying and listening quietly to a flamboyant private eye with a borrowed red Ferrari.
“Listen, I have no smoking gun on you, no evidence of your wrong-doing. It’s not me who exiled you here.”
Puppy whined, “I did nothing wrong, must be a misunderstanding.”
“It’s all optics. With all the embarrassing gaffes you and your husband mustered recently. It’s bad optics.”
“I know nothing about his business.”
“This political ringworm business is highly contagious, not fatal, but can spread like wild fire, has to be contained quickly and efficiently. House cleaning, sweeping all dirts under the political carpet.”
“Show me the allegations, show me now.”
“It really doesn’t matter. Sorry your political life is on the euthanization list. Casualty of war.”
“He cannot dump me just like that. I am a legally elected representative of my constituents.”
“Sorry, hun, cannot turn back the clock. He has more important maneuver to steer. Look at the thousands of believers at Parliament Hill last week. More managable crusaders to lead, more profitable alliances to establish and new direction to enforce.”
In a historic ruling, Speaker Peter Milliken ruled the Conservative government could be considered in contempt of Parliament for refusing MPs a look at secret records on Afghan detainees, and gave the government and opposition two weeks to work out a compromise over the release of the documents. And after much fighting and threatening, MPs finally agreed on a legal framework of releasing those documents. Here is a glimpse of what an un-redacted document will look like :
A PREVIOUSLY REDACTED DOCUMENT
Stephen Harper is no less determined than his predecessors to personally control the agenda. But we’ve had six years now of minority government, and during those years Parliament has become an increasingly powerful counterweight to the administration of the day.
Parliamentary committees have started exercising their power to compel individuals to appear before them and to explain their actions. Private member’s bills have actually become the law of the land.
And in an ultimate test and exercise of power, the opposition parties combined to force the government to show them the uncensored documents relating to the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan. There have been mistakes. The attempt in 2008 to force a coalition government on the Canadian people was an adolescent effort by the opposition to wield its newfound power. As coalition negotiations in London this week demonstrated, voters expect the party with the most seats to be part of the government.
And Mr. Harper, fighting back against this new threat to his hegemony, has used the power of prorogation so cavalierly that Parliament may have to take that power away from him.
AND NOW AN UN-REDACTED DOCUMENT
Stephen Harper is no less determined than his predecessors to personally control the agenda. But we’ve had six years now of minority government, and during those years Parliament has become an increasingly powerful counterweight to the administration of the day.
Parliamentary committees have started exercising their power to compel individuals to appear before them and to explain their actions. Private member’s bills have actually become the law of the land.
And in an ultimate test and exercise of power, the opposition parties combined to force the government to show them the uncensored documents relating to the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan. There have been mistakes. The attempt in 2008 to force a coalition government on the Canadian people was an adolescent effort by the opposition to wield its newfound power. As coalition negotiations in London this week demonstrated, voters expect the party with the most seats to be part of the government.
And Mr. Harper, fighting back against this new threat to his hegemony, has used the power of prorogation so cavalierly that Parliament may have to take that power away from him.
The first time I heard of this song, I was in a palliative care conference. When you are standing on the brink of eternity, this song brings you hope, courage, and a fighting chance. Stand proud, and keep dancing.
Lee Ann Womack – I Hope You Dance
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake
But it’s worth making
Don’t let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
The cultural revolution, Canadian style, has already begun.
The root of the problem is, pure and simple, the naked and vicious Power Struggle; crushing of all dissents, and by all means possible.
Look at the Gang of Three, signed a pact the year before, trying to take over the power of parliament. PM retaliated, by prorogation of parliament. It worked. Liberal changed leader, and the alliance fell apart.
Then came the Afghan retainees issue. The ‘cover-up’ storm brewing, and the ‘torture’ snowball rolling, almost into an international proportion, bordering on war crime potential. The magic wand of prorogation was pulled out once again and waved. It was with partial success, and bought some breathing space.
Then the Jaffer/Guergis affair. PM first tried to ignore and contain it, but the time bomb kept ticking. Finally with the slightest excuse, on rumour from a gumshoe, J/G were dropped like a hot potato, discarded and swept under the dirty political carpet swiftly. Now keep an eye on the Shory story.
The power struggle continues. The cultural revolution deepens.
Triggered by the Liberal’s own blunder and lost the vote on the abortion issue. Suddenly PM saw a glimpse of a lifeline, a break in the opposition’s rank, a rare opportunity, and seized it. He suddenly proclaimed, for Canada, world women’s health does not include abortion, although all along, he claimed not to re-open this issue. This signalled Canada is making a “Right Turn”. Power struggle is crystallizing, precipitated into an ideology war. Onward with the slaughters of gun control, gay support ….. delineation of ideology is finally set, stirring and splitting the oppositions.
Cultural revolution warfare required slogans and directives, a kind of home grown “Mao Tse-tung Thought”. The PMO is already issuing “Talking Points” memo on a daily basis, to its faithful, centralizing and promoting its righteous ideology. Eventually may be these will be compiled into a little “Blue Book”, the quotations from the PM/PMO. Every faithful should have one, and to be waved in the coming election.
China had the “revolutionary models” to set examples, and so in Canada, we have already started testing the propaganda machine. We have looked at those arm’s length organizations and have sent in an army of new directors and managers, to replace and to guide such organizations towards new directions. If you don’t toe the party line, then out you go. Or better, trying to muzzle any dissent opinions. Senator Ruth has put it neatly, “shut the f___ up”, otherwise ……. Funding cuts have already begun.
The cultural revolution is on. The power struggle continues.
But you asked, what happened to the motto: To serve the people? The only and real measuring yardstick.
Well, who cares actually, in such turbulent time !
