From what I have read of
From what I have read of Lennon’s life and views, as well as Harrison’s to a degree, their philosohpy if there was one was more about changing yourself, rather than others. We as socialist tend to think about changing nd influencing the world towards our point of view. Much of Lennon’s work and apparently held views, I would argue, are the opposite in that they advocate changing the world and making things better by influencing the one real sphere in which you have absolute power – YOU.People can choose to be loving and respectful just as they choose to be hateful and murderous. Putting the nature/nuture debate on hold for a moment, many of the changes and choices we make inluence others and indeed the world around us. Taking a moment out to think, feel and change things within ourselves was a very big part of the Beatles, Harrison’s and Lennon’s philosophies and influenced much of their work and lives for decades.Taken in that context, perhaps Imagine is less of a sociaist song in the accepted sense and more of a personal song in keeping with the title of it – for YOU to IMAGINE what life could be like if you wasn’t behaving the way you are now.One of Lennon’s other lyrics that I have kept with me all my life is: “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans” and even as socialists trying to influence the world, we’d be wise to be mindful of that line.