Re: Mr. Castro and John Lennon

Castro`s cancer wrote:
I can only speculate,after all i was in Cuba during those years and their
music was prohibited under pain of imprisionament for "ideological
diversionism".
My guess is to gain alliances with the useful liberal fools of occident he
reversed his policies to acommodate the modern political landscape,dominated
by those fools.

Ideological diversionism, now that is an interesting concept. So John's
music was seen as a diverting force, a distraction or defocusing
influence. So that means that there was an "idea" that was being
pursued and influences like this were percieved as being counter
productive to that idea, to the "dream" if you will.

Yes, I can understand that from a certain perspective this could be so.
I can even see why inprisonment would be used as the quickest and
easiest method to remove what they concidered a diversion and most
likely a threat.

I can understand it but I do not condone the method. I have found that
anger and punishment are often resorted to when no other "higher" form
of understanding and resolution can be found.

But I digress, back to my posted topic which was Mr. Castro's interest
in John Lennon. Obviously there was something he found in John's work
which he and I would imagine others somehow related to. That was one of
John's gifts you know. He was able to transend certain barriers and to
stir the imagination in all kinds of people. I have heard it was the
very song, "Imagine" that Mr. Castro felt attracted to or in some way
related to. I can understand why. It was one of John's most elegant and
thought provoking works.

Here it is so that we can "All" be on the same page.

John Lennon: Imagine

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 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

*************************************************************************************

Yes, I can see why this song and its concepts would apeal to Mr. Castro
and how it could relate to his imagination, to his, "dream" if you
will. Things like religion, rampant capitalism, greed, political
ideologies, lust for power. These have all led mankind down a darkened
path through out history. A song that said imagine what the world would
have been like, what the world "could" be like without these terrible
things,... I can see why people would find this a universally appealing
concept.

Now, here is the real question I guess. Was this Mr. Castro's dream?
Did this song touch upon a dream that he and others wanted to make
reality but somehow never seemed to be able to achieve? Did somehwere
deep down he sence some kind of higher meaning to these simple lyrics
but did not know how to make them real?

Did he and for that matter others lose sight of the dream? Did they
lose thier way some where along the dream and imagination highway.

I wonder. I wonder what really happened.

I don't pretend to know much of such things or what the conditions in
Cuba are. So I will ask a simple and honest question.

In today's Cuba can you sit down at the statue of John and listen to
the song Imagination and not be thrown into prison for dreaming? Could
Mr. Castro sit down at a cafe with an average citizen, say a young
student and could they debate such higher concepts in public? Or would
the police come and arrest both of them?

Again, I apologize for my ignorence as to the current state of affairs
in Cuba but this story of the statue and its meaning truly peaked my
curiousity and imagination. I hope that is okay with the Cuban
authorities who are monitoring this news group. I know this must be a
very stressful period for them and to all Cubans. My hope is for peace
and the achievement of happiness for "ALL" Cubans. I think that is a
dream all our collective imaginations could relate to is it not. I am
sure that Cubans working together without outside interference can
achieve just that. After all it is what all human beings basically want
deep down inside isn't it.

: )

me

.

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