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Nigel Bamber

Head of Structural Analysis, Caterham F1 Team

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Could John Lennons' "Imagine" ever come true?

I'm fascinated by the concepts described in this song.
I'm not allowed to write the lyrics out here because of TEDs' copyright rules, but I'm sure you can find them for yourself.
So could Imagine come true?
Do you want it to come true?
and if so, how would we go about making it come true?

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    Tim Petersen

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    May 29 2012: One person at a time. It is true in my world.
    Thank you forspeaking his name.
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    James van der Walt

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    May 3 2012: His vision will come true but we have to give up labels - Christian, Muslim, America, Russian, self and other. We have to accept that we are all connected. Everything you do will have an effect and everything the rest does will effect you. Rifkin's talk on Empathy does a great job of preaching this connected view. Well worth a watch if you haven't already. :)
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      Nigel Bamber

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      May 3 2012: James....thank you so much for showing me the Empathy talk. There are so many TEDs and I hadn't got to that one yet. I've listed it as the related talk for this discussion. It's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about.I totally agree that we have to lose the separating labels. However, I think that the empathic civilisation itself needs a single label or banner. Otherwise it is hard for people already working towards this to feel a part of it. There are all sorts of people engaged in collaborative open source projects, all sorts of people volunteering to give up their free time for empathic or community causes, but the overall effect isn't seen to have an identity across the world. It needs to be visible, so that more people can understand how large it is and want to be a part of it.We are an interesting point in history because for the first time we have the communication tools to enable this civilisation.I have a blog, where I am investigating the practicalities of a united society. I coined the word "Cynapse" as a label for it. I believe John Lennon regarded himself to be a citizen of "Nutopia"!

  • Mary M. 100+

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    May 3 2012: John Lennon's song is what is preached by Jehovah's witnesses.
    A paradise on earth with mankind united in a peaceful world.
    No more wars, No more fear, No hunger, No crime, No death.

    Every time I hear the song it reminds me of their message, and every time I hear their message, it reminds me of Lennon's song.

    Bette Midler's song "from a distance" is also related to this theme....very moving. It is on youtube if you care to search.

    To answer your question, Yes, I can see it in my mind's eye. And Yes I would like it to come true.
    To make it true it would require people to change......have you ever been in a large stadium where a wave was started? And you saw the ripple effect all across as thousands of spectators move to action knowing that they will have to stand and raise their arms. How great to be part of the spirit of cooperation right?

    Well, in effect, that is what I imagine......humans uniting to make the world a better place....one person at a time.

    Will I live to see it? I hope so!! :)
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      Nigel Bamber

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      May 3 2012: So you're in a stadium and you decide to start a wave. You stand up. How do you persuade the second person to stand, and the third. How many people do you need to get the wave to propogate on its' own?

      • Mary M. 100+

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        May 3 2012: BEFOREyou stand you whisper to the people around you.....spirit of cooperation.....and they whisper to those around them........when a significant group has been whispered to ..........a leader says action!!! This action is seen from far away.............they can see it coming towards them.

        Grant it, some will not partake, but they will lose out. In the end, those that participate walk on a cloud of happiness after having participated in such a mass scale activity.

        I think the whispering has already started.......pssst "love thy neighbor as yourself"......psst "don't judge others".........pssst "be the change you want to be in others".......psst "lead by example"......psst "have empathy"......

        The question is, "are we still asking questions? OR have we started to change ourselves, and are we leading by our example, and are we whispering to others..............The rest Nigel is a matter of TIME.

        So, in my opinion, we just need endurance, and patience. Maybe we will live to see the change.

        This of course is just my opinion. Songs are very powerful indeed. Sadly, not all songs today have a positive message. Nor are all singers good role models. Can we change the music industry?
        Who will start to whisper there? I think there are many TED performances that indicate the whispering has started in the music industry.
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          Nigel Bamber

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          May 3 2012: I'm not sure how much time we have left, but Mary, consider yourself whispered to.

          psst "have empathy" psst "Cynapse"

          I talk about Cynapse on my profile. I'd love to know if you feel able to whisper to someone else. If not, I'm going to feel very silly standing up on my own :-)

      • Mary M. 100+

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        May 4 2012: Nigel, I really enjoyed reading through your site and blog.

        Yes, I have been whispering and will continue to whisper.

        I like that you state in your blog that the important thing is that we move and do something.
        Many of us are attempting to make changes.

        I find that I walk around with a mind opener (versus a can opener),,,,,constantly attempting to help people open their mind to new ideas, and to embrace a world of peace and understanding and empathy. I work with alot of immigrants, who are struggling to give meaning to their life in this country.

        Just this afternoon I had a talk with a couple about how the world is changing. And how we are living in a momentous time in human history. I tried to make them reason using the following:

        Universities are filled with young people from all over the world. They get along, and speak to each other. Young people are coming to realize that we are all the same. And once they join the global workforce they are realizing that people have the same kinds of needs worldwide. They need to be loved, they need to be understood, they need water, food, shelter and clothing.

        Little by little these pockets of young professionals from all walks of life are trying to make a difference worldwide.

        I think the time is coming when the powers that be will not be able to keep humans apart any more. The internet is bringing more and more of us together.

        Peace and security is close at hand......the question is, what will come after???

        TTT.......this takes time.....
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          Nigel Bamber

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          May 4 2012: The whisperers are the most important people in the world today :-)
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