Thursday, January 08, 2009
Thoughts while listening to Imagine, by John Lennon
by Larry Geller
One day Israel has to make peace with its neighbors. They are not going to achieve peace by pounding the Palestinians with military force, and the world won’t stand for genocide, even if some Israelis have such evil dreams. No, they are going to have to learn to make peace, not war.
Israel is the only country that can bring peace to the mid-East. They have the capability, the resources, and would have support from everyone.
To bring about peace in the region, Israel will have to quit subjugating its own Arab population and its neighbors and flip 180 degrees. They will have to assist their neighbors in becoming prosperous. Show them how to make the desert bloom. Help them develop industries and agriculture, help them popularize crafts and their own culture. They will have to play Arabic music on Israel’s radio and develop TV cooperatives. And lots more.
They will have to take care of their neighbors like brothers, and then work alongside them for mutual prosperity.
Israel has not even started this process.
Imagine for a moment that they do…
How long will it take to achieve peace? I think a decade, no more. Maybe much less. South Africa is the model. They’re still struggling, but they are off to a good start.
Imagine
John LennonImagine 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...
If there’s no heaven… no hell…, then this is all we have. This is it, this is everything. Then how can one take another human life? How can one deprive another person, a family, a people, of food, water, medical care or education? How can there be suicide bombings? Imagine.
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...
Steven Weinberg said, “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
What is it about “Thou shalt not kill” that people don’t understand? We need to figure that out, and figure out why our organized religions are not working for us.
Can we live in peace even with religion?
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
Video from a great resource, Antiwar Songs.
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