IMAGINE

~ Iain Kelly

‘Imagine all the people, sharing all the world,’ sang John Lennon.

And they shot him.

‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,’ ministered the Reverend Martin Luther King.

And they shot him.

‘Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal,’ called John F. Kennedy.

And they shot him.

‘I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent,’ spoke Mahatma Gandhi.

And they shot him.

‘Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance,’ rallied Robert F. Kennedy.

And they shot him.

‘Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,’ spoke Abraham Lincoln.

And they shot him.

Imagine we did more than listen to their words. Imagine we did more than remember those words.

Imagine we lived by their words.

art
Copyright Sue Vincent

This is a response to the #writephoto Prompt – Imagination curated over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.

Published by Iain Kelly

39 year old writer, avid film viewer and book reader, employed in the media industry as a television editor.

55 thoughts on “IMAGINE”

  1. We try, but the reprisal for acting against the crowd is harsh…and as you say above, often deadly. Better to groundswell, stay near the essential beneficiaries of right action and love?

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    1. Yep, easy to forget that the vast majority of people manage to do it just fine. Unfortunately the vocal and powerful seem to struggle with it…

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  7. That is an excellent and terrible observation. Fortunately, living by those ideals is much safer than standing up for them. Unfortunately, we can’t seem to do to as a species.

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    1. Not meant as an analogy, more just a reflection. An interesting thought though – how would Ford and Reagan be judged now if either had suffered a similar fate to those that sadly were killed?

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      1. It would be an interesting piece of speculative fiction, but would require a ton of research. So far, the most popular story along those lines is what would have happened if JFK had lived.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Yes, started with the same man, but took it a different direction. And I agree, if only the world did listen to their words. Do you remember the old song, “Abraham, Martin and John”?

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  18. Pingback: Imagine ~ Iain Kelly #writephoto | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

  23. Well done. Thinking of MLK of course, and what if? But the thoughts and words are still there to take to heart. Guns seem to be louder these days than anyone’s words. (K)

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  24. So many of us do live by their words. The people who need to listen to them, don’t. I do imagine a better world but I fear it will always remain the kind where there are too many deaf people.

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  27. Pingback: Photo prompt round-up: Imagination #writephoto | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

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