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
Livin' 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
What’s not to love about the idea of the world living as one - especially in these days of horrific killing in the Middle East, a seemingly intractable war in Ukraine, and the noxious childcare center that is the U.S. House of Representatives. No wonder the idea of everyone dissolving their differences and holding beatific hands has such powerful appeal.
But include me in the circle convened by the poet and activist Audre Lorde, in the pictured quotation above, who relocates the root of our troubles away from our differences, themselves, and positions it squarely on the egocentric and bigoted view we have of them.
It’s mystifying to me how, in this day and age, anyone can view their particular country or their political party or their religious practice or their economic system to be “the best.” It takes me back to Bill Murray's memorable claim in the movie, Meatballs, that the humble Camp North Star offered the best summer camping experience "in this price range". But this isn't a summer camp, and this isn’t a football league, and we are more than fans sporting our favorite jerseys. Surely by this point in history every heretofore envisioned option for organizing life and meaning has amply exposed its ugly underbelly.
We can claim, for example, that the United States of America is the best, but according to what measure do we assert or defend that claim? Happiness? No, the U.S. doesn’t even break into the top 10 in that category where Finland tops the list. Education? According to some assessments, the U.S. has the best educational system, but Americans are not the most educated. Those would be the Germans. Interesting. Access to health care? No, we are 23rd, behind #1 Sweden. Safety? No, there we rank 129th, a long way behind #1 Iceland. Standard of living? No, that’s Sweden, again.
According to U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of the “Best Countries in the World,” again, the U.S. fails to make it into the top 10. Apparently our #1 position in the list of gun possession - over twice as many guns per capita as #2 Yemen - didn’t count for as much as we might like to think.
None of which should be construed as suggesting that this isn’t a good place to live, or that “American” is a bad thing to be. It’s just a hint that we have a lot of work yet to do. Along with every other country in the world.
I have spent my life within the orbit of Christianity - it has and continues to shape me and give my life and my living both direction and definition of right and wrong, truth and falsehood. I’m not one of those who lumps all religions into the same basket with the dismissive aggregation, “They are pretty much all the same.” No, that’s not the way I see it. There are big differences. But does the language of “best” really apply here? I can articulate how I find meaning within Christianity - how it compels me and claims me - but I suspect that a good Buddhist or Hindu or Jew or Muslim could do the same. But whatever value our religious traditions certainly have in the world, our religious expression - across the board - is a mixed bag. We have done much good. We have caused much pain. I’m not looking forward to answering for my own flawed expression of the Christian faith, let alone for the church through history.
Communists and Socialists, I’m willing to say, had some good ideas, but they quickly got off track and doubled down on their flaws. As, of course, has Capitalism. These are hardly perfect systems. Surely we can continue to refine and improve and evolve them into something better.
But would the absence of all religion, the absence of all countries, the absence of political parties, the absence of capital make us better?
I doubt it, which is where I think Lennon’s winsome anthem gets it wrong. But even if, by chance, he turns out to be right, what I do know is that it would make us blander, duller, and intrinsically, pathologically boring. I once heard a preacher proclaim that “different is not deficient”. Indeed. Would that we could grasp that. It is our differences that make us interesting, colorful in literal and metaphorical ways, and stimulating.
Now, if only it were our curiosity and wonder that were stimulated instead of our aggression.
Imagine that, for a change.
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