John Lennon’s IMAGINE could help our civilization to become like Star Trek
Disclaimer: This post may give Marxist vibes to you. But consider me apathetic to politics. I am basing my ideas purely on hypothetical events the world might witness in future due to technological breakthroughs and the increase of globalization.
It was the Best Karaoke Night!
I love the following ancient Sanskrit verse from the Maha Upanishad (VI.71–73):
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्।
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥
wherein वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) specifically translates to “The world is one family”. I love John Lennon’s song, IMAGINE, for a similar reason.
I recently sang IMAGINE in a Karaoke session, and the applause I received was unprecedented. I am not a professional singer. However, this powerful song brought the whole crowd into a trance-like harmony in a dive bar on a Friday night in Arizona. I was surrounded by Americans, along with people of various ethnicities. Let’s reminisce about the lyrics of this song for a minute.
Lyrics
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin’ for today
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 You…
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
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 You…
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 live as one
— John Lennon, 1971
IMAGINE’s Correlation to Kardashev Scale
Famous Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashav proposed a scale in 1964 which classifies civilizations according to technological development underpinning energy consumption. John Lennon’s song has the philosophy that could expedite our civilization’s growth to Type II level on the Kardashev Scale, like Star Trek. Currently, we are not even a complete Type I.
Star Trek’s United Federation of Planets (UFP — Romulans, Vulcan, Klingon, Andor, Bajor, Cardassia, and others), and interstellar travel, for example, could fall under Type II. For a civilization to be Type II, it should be able to harness the energy radiating from its own star with an energy equivalent to 4 x 10e+33 ergs/sec. Hypothetically, this is possible by encompassing a star with, say, a Dyson sphere — a theoretical megastructure capable of capturing energy.
Carl Sagan’s interpolated Kardashev scale puts us at 0.73 based on the world energy consumption of 581.51 exajoules (2019 statistic) according to the following equation
where K is the Kardashev rating, and P is power in watts. I have come across blog posts where cryptocurrency is predicted as a technological booster for reaching Type 1 by utilizing decentralization and empowering people globally, financially, and seamlessly. There are other ways, too!
Globalization, immigration, and cross-cultural pollination will continue to rise, and interracial marriages will inevitably proliferate. People may all look alike in the future. Even if I marry a woman from my own race, my kids or grandkids may prefer an interracial marriage. Human pedigrees will become more complex. Tolerance of different races, cultures, religions, and creeds in an interracial society will bloom exponentially, and there’s a possibility of achieving a utopic, socialistic society. Brand values may dissolve, and more selfless leaders will emerge. Such a society will help us quickly cross the Type I boundary wherein we can harness energy across the entire planet — synchronously without any political, social, or economic conundrums — from our parent star , the sun.
John Lennon had gotten everything right in IMAGINE! This is a philosophical song that has the power to engage people harmoniously in a secular framework. We need a peace anthem like IMAGINE. When I sang the following line, “You may say I am a dreamer….” Mexicans, Asians, Africans, and other ethnicities tagged along. A few Americans even started dancing, and the whole crowd went gaga. They even ignored and pardoned slight mishaps associated with my rhythm. The power of such a song could churn people’s emotions and unite them for a common cause. John Lennon suggested a society without religion, but I take it as a society with increased tolerance and mutual admiration for multiracial beliefs and practices. It’s like Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam! World religions, castes, and ideologies may undergo upgrades like how Intel’s processors or Apple’s iPhones transform each year. It’s not simple, but I am proposing a peace anthem like IMAGINE to unify our ideologies, and expedite our journey to a Star Trek-type civilization.
IMAGINE might have been born under extreme circumstances, and people may even point out the seemingly underlying hypocrisy, but the key message is, its ideology is extraordinarily progressive. So let’s learn the good and ignore the contentious part.
Live Long and Prosper!
YAAR — You Are a Rockstar!
Sincerely,
Vinith Bejugam, PhD
