Tag Archives: hopelessness

♫ Imagine ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, music, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I seem to play this one at least once, sometimes twice a year … as Keith said last year, it is one of the most impactful songs ever written.  When I look around today … not only here in the U.S. at the political turmoil, but afar … at Israel/Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan and so many other places around the globe where peace is but a dream … I think of this song and imagine …

John Lennon wrote and recorded this song at his Tittenhurst Park estate in the English countryside where he and Yoko took up residence in the summer of 1969. When they moved to Tittenhurst, The Beatles hadn’t officially broken up, but they were on the outs and would never record together again (the last Beatles photo shoot took place there in August, 1969).

In early 1971, Lennon worked up songs for a new album – Imagine was one of them. In May, he summoned several of his musical cohorts to Tittenhurst to record it, including Phil Spector, George Harrison, bass player Klaus Voormann, piano man Nicky Hopkins, and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. They recorded on-campus in the studio Lennon had recently built, which he called Ascot Sound Studios. It was a genial atmosphere; footage from the sessions shows Lennon and his cohorts enjoying each others’ company, but also getting down to business when it came time to work – Phil Spector kept the sessions on track, and Lennon was exacting in his musical detail. Imagine was one of the first songs they recorded. With a very simple arrangement designed to spotlight the lyric, it required just Lennon’s vocals and piano, Voormann’s bass, and White’s drums. Strings were overdubbed later.

Some listeners had a problem with the “no possessions” line, finding Lennon hypocritical because he was so well-off. Yoko Ono addressed this in a 1998 interview with Uncut, where she said of her husband’s intentions: “He sincerely wished that there would be a time when all of us could feel happy without getting too obsessive about material goods.”

A sidewalk mosaic spells out the word Imagine in a section of Central Park dedicated to Lennon. The area is called Strawberry Fields, and is located across from Lennon’s apartment where he was shot.

Released as a single in America, Imagine climbed to #3 in November 1971. In the UK, John and Yoko decided not to release it as a single to put focus on their Christmas peace anthem Happy Xmas (War Is Over). In 1975, Imagine was issued as a UK single for the first time, reaching #6. Soon after Lennon’s death in 1980, it was re-released in the UK and hit #1 on January 10, 1981, where it stayed for four weeks.

Imagine
John Lennon

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 (ah ah ah)

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

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 live as one

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon
Imagine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management

Good People Doing Good Things — Madeline & Casey

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, education, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

More than a few times, I have said that if there is hope for our world, it lies with our youth.  Today’s young people seem to be more engaged that my generation was at that age, more conscious of the environment, of poverty and the related problems of homelessness and hunger, and of the societal ills that are leading to so much strife these days.  Today’s first ‘good people’ is one such example.

Madeline Mitchell is 17 years old and lives in Natchitoches, Louisiana. In a recent U.S. News survey of the best states to live in, Louisiana ranked #50.  They are at or near the bottom of the barrel in every area, including economy, education, healthcare, opportunity, and more.  While volunteering at a local preschool, Madeline noticed that one student always wanted to bring his snack home instead of eating it in the moment. Madeline later found out that he would save it so he and his siblings had food for the weekend. Hunger was causing this child to be sick more often, which led to lots of school absences and poor school performance. In the parish where Madeline lives, 44% of the population is living in poverty and her neighborhood is considered a food desert—an area that lacks convenient access to healthy and affordable food. With inflation at an all-time high, families are forced to make difficult decisions, like whether it’s more important to feed their children or pay the bills.

Wanting to provide a solution to the existing food insecurity problem as well as provide lifelong skills by educating children about growing vegetables, Madeline created community gardens and little free pantries across the parish. With the support of local organizations including Natchitoches 4-H, Marthaville School, and the City of Natchitoches, Madeline has been able to secure gardening space, host her pantries, and activate over 1000 youth and adult volunteers to make her projects possible. Most recently, with financial support from a 2023 Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation youth grant, Madeline installed another pantry and collected enough food to provide over 500 meals to neighbors in need!

As a result of Madeline’s work, youth and adults in her community have access to food 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Wanting to make lasting change for years to come, Madeline has also invested time in teaching students how to grow their own produce, as well as how to make snacks and meals with their harvests. While Madeline looks to the future, she aspires to expand her work to other neighborhoods and parishes across Louisiana, educate the public about the impact of childhood hunger, and collaborate with them to find both short and long-term solutions.

If our future is in the hands of people like Madeline, then I will feel pretty good about that future.

And my 2nd good people is a brief story, but one that shows how the simplest acts of kindness can make so much difference in someone’s life.

Casey Fischer was in between classes when she stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts for a coffee. That’s where she spotted the homeless man picking up change on the side of the road.

This is what she wrote:

“Today I went to Dunkin’ Donuts and saw a clearly homeless guy sitting on the side of the road and picking up change.

Eventually I saw him stroll into Dunkin, as he was counting his change to buy something I began to get super annoying and talked to him over and over again even when he didn’t really want to talk.

Since he had maybe $1 in change I bought him a coffee and bagel and asked him to sit down with me.

He told me a lot about how people are usually very mean to him because he’s homeless, how drugs turned him into the person he hated, he lost his mom to cancer, he never knew his dad and he just wants to be someone his mom would be proud of (along with another hours worth of conversation.)

This lovely mans name was Chris and Chris was one of the most honest & sincere people I’ve ever met.

After realizing I really need to get back to class Chris asked me to wait so he can write something down for me. Handing me a crumpled up receipt he apologized for having shaky hand writing, smiled, and left.

I opened his note and this was it:

I wanted to kill myself today, because of u I now do not. Thank u, beautiful person.”

♫ Imagine ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, music, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I’m sorry, friends … I know I redux this one a lot, but … it’s where my head is tonight.  😢

John Lennon wrote and recorded this song at his Tittenhurst Park estate in the English countryside where he and Yoko took up residence in the summer of 1969. When they moved to Tittenhurst, The Beatles hadn’t officially broken up, but they were on the outs and would never record together again (the last Beatles photo shoot took place there in August, 1969).

In early 1971, Lennon worked up songs for a new album – Imagine was one of them. In May, he summoned several of his musical cohorts to Tittenhurst to record it, including Phil Spector, George Harrison, bass player Klaus Voormann, piano man Nicky Hopkins, and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. They recorded on-campus in the studio Lennon had recently built, which he called Ascot Sound Studios. It was a genial atmosphere; footage from the sessions shows Lennon and his cohorts enjoying each others’ company, but also getting down to business when it came time to work – Phil Spector kept the sessions on track, and Lennon was exacting in his musical detail. Imagine was one of the first songs they recorded. With a very simple arrangement designed to spotlight the lyric, it required just Lennon’s vocals and piano, Voormann’s bass, and White’s drums. Strings were overdubbed later.

Some listeners had a problem with the “no possessions” line, finding Lennon hypocritical because he was so well-off. Yoko Ono addressed this in a 1998 interview with Uncut, where she said of her husband’s intentions: “He sincerely wished that there would be a time when all of us could feel happy without getting too obsessive about material goods.”

A sidewalk mosaic spells out the word Imagine in a section of Central Park dedicated to Lennon. The area is called Strawberry Fields, and is located across from Lennon’s apartment where he was shot.

Released as a single in America, Imagine climbed to #3 in November 1971. In the UK, John and Yoko decided not to release it as a single to put focus on their Christmas peace anthem Happy Xmas (War Is Over). In 1975, Imagine was issues as a UK single for the first time, reaching #6. Soon after Lennon’s death in 1980, it was re-released in the UK and hit #1 on January 10, 1981, where it stayed for four weeks.

Imagine
John Lennon

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 (ah ah ah)

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

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 live as one

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon
Imagine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management

♫ Imagine ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, music, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I seem to play this one at least once every year, but it never becomes dated, never loses its relevance to what is happening in our world.  In the past, I usually only provided the song, along with my own commentary, but no trivia.  This time, I thought I’d add a bit of the history of the song.

John Lennon wrote and recorded this song at his Tittenhurst Park estate in the English countryside where he and Yoko took up residence in the summer of 1969. When they moved to Tittenhurst, The Beatles hadn’t officially broken up, but they were on the outs and would never record together again (the last Beatles photo shoot took place there in August, 1969).

In early 1971, Lennon worked up songs for a new album – Imagine was one of them. In May, he summoned several of his musical cohorts to Tittenhurst to record it, including Phil Spector, George Harrison, bass player Klaus Voormann, piano man Nicky Hopkins, and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. They recorded on-campus in the studio Lennon had recently built, which he called Ascot Sound Studios. It was a genial atmosphere; footage from the sessions shows Lennon and his cohorts enjoying each others’ company, but also getting down to business when it came time to work – Phil Spector kept the sessions on track, and Lennon was exacting in his musical detail. Imagine was one of the first songs they recorded. With a very simple arrangement designed to spotlight the lyric, it required just Lennon’s vocals and piano, Voormann’s bass, and White’s drums. Strings were overdubbed later.

Some listeners had a problem with the “no possessions” line, finding Lennon hypocritical because he was so well-off. Yoko Ono addressed this in a 1998 interview with Uncut, where she said of her husband’s intentions: “He sincerely wished that there would be a time when all of us could feel happy without getting too obsessive about material goods.”

A sidewalk mosaic spells out the word Imagine in a section of Central Park dedicated to Lennon. The area is called Strawberry Fields, and is located across from Lennon’s apartment where he was shot.

Released as a single in America, Imagine climbed to #3 in November 1971. In the UK, John and Yoko decided not to release it as a single to put focus on their Christmas peace anthem Happy Xmas (War Is Over). In 1975, Imagine was issues as a UK single for the first time, reaching #6. Soon after Lennon’s death in 1980, it was re-released in the UK and hit #1 on January 10, 1981, where it stayed for four weeks.

Imagine
John Lennon

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 (ah ah ah)

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

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 live as one

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon
Imagine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management

♫ Imagine ♫

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Global Issues, music, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Now, I know that I played this song three times during 2018, once during 2019, and twice last year.  And, I know that a couple of my beloved friends/readers do not care much for John Lennon.  But tonight, after the second mass shooting here in the U.S. in just over a week … well, I felt no song in my heart except this one … this one that let’s us dream of a better world.  I have never felt more hopeless than I do tonight … if there is hope for us in this world, it is to live life as John Lennon sings … a world with “nothing to kill or die for”.

And so, I ask you, dear friends, to listen to this song … really listen … even if you don’t like Lennon, or you’re tired of me playing it … just listen.  Let the words of hope wash over you.  If we can’t make a difference, if you truly think we are just doomed … then why do you love the ‘good people’ posts so much?  You love them for the same reasons I do … because they give us hope for the future … for humanity.  Now, don those headphones, sit back and close your eyes, and just absorb the music, okay?  Love ‘n hugs!

Imagine
John Lennon

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 (ah ah ah)

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

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 live as one

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon
Imagine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management

♫ Imagine (Again) ♫

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Global Issues, music, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Now, I know that I played this song three times during 2018 and once during 2019.  And, I know that a couple of my beloved friends/readers to not care much for John Lennon.  But, I have a reason for playing this one tonight, so please … bear with me.

I just finished catching up on comments to my last few posts, and before that, I spent a couple of hours on my ‘good people’ post.  And a few things came to me during the course of those two things.  I sense in the comments a lot of hopelessness among you guys.  Oh, don’t get me wrong … I’ve been down in the rabbit hole more times than I can count … there have been days that I considered jumping off a cliff, and there will no doubt be such days again.  But, it disturbs me to feel that some of you have given up hope that we can turn things around in this nation … in the world.

I have been so hopeless so many times in the past three years that I’ve perfected my plan to jump off a cliff if needs be, but as yet I still have hope that we can turn things around.  We will never live in a perfect world, for humans are the most flawed species on earth!  But, we can make it better.  If I didn’t believe that, I would not be sitting here writing this tonight.

And so, I ask you, dear friends, to listen to this song … really listen … even if you don’t like Lennon, or you’re tired of me playing it … just listen.  Let the words of hope wash over you.  It’s a new year, and yeah, I know that the markings on a calendar are a contrivance of humans and have no meaning in the grand scheme of things, but … let’s start 2020 with at least a tiny shred of hope that we can make a difference.  If we can’t make a difference, if you truly think we are just doomed … then why do you love the ‘good people’ posts so much?  You love them for the same reasons I do … because they give us hope for the future … for humanity.  Now, don those headphones, sit back and close your eyes, and just absorb the music, okay?  Love ‘n hugs!

Imagine
John Lennon

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 (ah ah ah)

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

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 live as one

Songwriters: John Winston Lennon
Imagine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management