The View From The Balcony: “Imagine”

I’m sitting in my den trying to come up with something to write about. I could pick just about any topic these days, but I’m not feeling inspired. Many writers would probably say that times like these, when your muse is silent, are what separates “the men from the boys.” Well, I’ve pushed through those times on more than a few occasions, so I decided to take a stab at it once more. It may be a shot in the dark. Here goes…

Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz’s son, Gus, spontaneously stood up at the Democratic National Convention a couple of weeks ago and shouted repeatedly “I love you, Dad! That’s my dad!”. Gus’ unbridled pride and exuberance was one of the most precious moments of the entire convention. He was like a little boy (he’s actually 17 years old) who loves his father deeply. It brought tears of gratitude to my heart and eyes. You see, Gus lives with neurodivergence, ADHD, an anxiety disorder, and a non-verbal learning difference.

More than a few reporters and commentators were critical of Gus’ outburst. I don’t think their hearts are in the right place. We should all be so blessed as to have a cheerleader like Gus. I believe Gus’ exuberance was a beautiful demonstration of a child who was loved tenderly and accepted for exactly who he was. It speaks volumes about the goodness, patience, and compassion of Gus’ parents. I’d like to see a person like that in the highest offices in our government.

On the wall over my television hangs a framed poster of graffiti with the peace symbol and the word Imagine prominently overlaid on it. This is, of course, a reference to the John Lennon/Yoko Ono song of the same title (Published by Downtown Dmp Songs o/b/o Lenono Music), released in 1971. I was a 16-year-old sophomore in high school. (Yeah, I’m old. So what?)

The song struck a nerve with more than a peck of people, particularly protestants (I’m quite proud of that alliteration.) who took umbrage with the lines “Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky.” Being the good Southern Baptist teenager with a very active imagination that I was, I suppose I should have been offended, but my thinking was “What’s wrong with imaging those things?”

Idle hands are not necessarily the devil’s workshop. Neither is an idle mind. Typically most creativity begins with an idle mind meandering through the realms of imagination. The beginning of any invention, any art, any music, any book, and any plan of any kind is first in the imagination of the creator. We think it, then we bring it into being. Therefore, an empty mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Of course I know that mind is never completely void, but when we empty our minds of all the mundane we make space for imagination to be released, untethered. “I think, therefore I am” can become “I imagine, therefore I create.”

What if we were to imagine there’s no heaven or hell? There’s no scientific proof of either. Remember, we believe what we believe because we choose to believe it. Nevertheless, would we go to hell for that? What would be the reason for living? What could bring meaning to our lives? I believe the answer lies in large part to living mindfully in the now and actively seeking the best for others and from ourselves.

Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven was among us and inside us. If that is true it’s easy to deduce that heaven and hell are present with us now. We create our own heaven. We create our own hell. Practicing harmful, hurtful things creates hell in our lives. Practicing kindness, compassion, and love opens the gates of heaven in our hearts and souls.

So we don’t have to die to go to heaven or hell. We can create either or both by our thoughts, intensions, and actions. That is up to us. As for an afterlife, we’ll just have to wait until we take our final breath. In the meantime, let’s do more imagining. There’s no telling what amazing things are just waiting to be discovered!
Imagine that!

…and that’s the View from The Balcony.

Randy Weeks is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Shamanic Life Coach, an ordained minister, a singer-songwriter, an actor, a writer, and a dreamer. Randy may be reached at: randallsweeks@gmail.com.